Anderson (blister) racing clock for 1st start

MILWAUKEE -- The Brewers’ pitching staff is taking shape as Opening Day approaches, but there’s one unanswered question that will impact the starting rotation and the bullpen: Will Brett Anderson be ready?

Anderson’s last tune-up was cut short after two innings by a blister on his left index finger, a common problem for the veteran lefty in past Spring Trainings. It typically heals with help from the dry Arizona air. In humid Milwaukee, it is to be determined whether Anderson will be ready to pitch the Brewers’ second game of the season on Saturday against the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

As Anderson took the field Sunday at Miller Park to play catch, that tentatively scheduled start was only six days away.

“There’s not too many days before we get things rolling,” Anderson said. “Hopefully, today will be a step.”

The outcome will have a domino effect. Last week, the Brewers’ pitchers were lined up like this: Brandon Woodruff, who has been named the Opening Day starter, followed by Anderson and Corbin Burnes the next day. Then comes Josh Lindblom and Freddy Peralta the day after that, and finally, Adrian Houser. Manager Craig Counsell named only Woodruff and Anderson to start Games 1 and 2, but one can see a rotation taking shape of Woodruff, Anderson, Lindblom and Houser. Burnes or Peralta could piggyback, or one could fill the fifth starter’s spot with the other beginning the regular season in the bullpen. Counsell has left some room for creativity.

If 32-year-old Anderson needs a bit more time, then both Burnes and Peralta could open the season in the rotation, which in turn would free another job in the bullpen. Per the rules of this 60-game regular season, teams can have 30 active players for the first two weeks, then 28 players for the next two weeks and 26 players after that.

“It’s just ‘let it heal’, right?” Counsell said “So that’s what [Anderson] is doing. It’s an issue that he’s had multiple times at the start of a season, so it’s not something new. It’s not something overly concerning from his end, like it’s never happened to him before. But it’s there, and we have to make sure that it doesn’t affect him when he’s out on the mound and it doesn’t affect him for the entirety of the season.”

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The Brewers inked Anderson to a one-year deal coming off a healthy, 31-start season for the Oakland A’s, whose manager, Bob Melvin, is a mentor to Counsell. That general familiarity played a role, Anderson said, in agreeing to join a Brewers team with a reputation for using its bullpen early and often.

Last year, for the first time in franchise history, the Brewers didn’t have a single pitcher log enough innings (one per team game) to qualify for the league ERA title. And still, they made the postseason for the second straight year.

“I think we’ve got a very eclectic mix,” Anderson said. “Right-handed, left-handed. We’ve got power guys, finesse guys. You look at Burnes and I, pitching the last time [in the same game]. You’ve got two polar opposite styles, contrasting the way we go about it. I think that’s good. The other team, over the course of a three- or four-game series, isn’t going to see the same style pitcher too many times.”

For Anderson, success is often tied to his health, and he was healthy in 2019 on the way to 176 innings for Oakland. He went 13-9 with a 3.89 ERA while keeping the ball on the ground as usual with his sinker-cutter combination; among MLB's 61 qualifying pitchers, only the Cardinals' Dakota Hudson and the Reds' Luis Castillo had higher ground-ball rates than Anderson's 54.5 percent.

“The ball is going to be on the ground, and sometimes it’s going to find holes, but we have to convert the outs that we can get,” Counsell said.

Last year marked the third time in parts of 11 Major League seasons that Anderson reached 30 starts and the first time since 2015 with the Dodgers. He underwent Tommy John surgery in '11, back surgery in '14 and '16 and had stints on the injured list for forearm and shoulder strains in '18 with Oakland before avoiding the IL in '19.

“I’ve always thought I’ve been a pretty decent pitcher whenever I’ve been healthy, but that’s obviously been an issue over the course of my career,” Anderson said. “Last year, I was able to go out there and take the ball every time I was asked to, and hopefully, I am this year, too.”

While Anderson’s availability clouds the rotation, the Brewers’ bullpen is taking shape. Having pitched some of their mainstays on back-to-back days late last week, a number of the team’s “A” relievers -- including Josh Hader, Corey Knebel, David Phelps and Alex Claudio -- pitched again Sunday in intrasquad action. That sets them up, Counsell said, to pitch in the Brewers’ only exhibition game against another team on Wednesday night at the White Sox. Two days later, the Brewers open the regular season on the road at the Cubs. Justin Grimm, Devin Williams and Ray Black also pitched Sunday, though Black had to walk off the mound with assistant athletic trainer Dave Yeager.

“I think we’ve got our relievers in a good spot,” Counsell said. “They’re asking for more. That’s always a good thing. … I’m really encouraged where a whole bunch of them are sitting right now.”

Has anyone besides the usual suspects stood out to Counsell and his coaches?

“If you’re asking for names, I’d say Devin Williams. His last outing was as good as we’ve seen in camp,” Counsell said. “I think Bobby Wahl’s last outing was a really nice outing, and he’s a guy we’re encouraged by because he’s been snake-bit by the bad luck and the injuries. Having him in a good place and throwing the ball well is hopefully going to pay dividends for us.”

Rosters must be set by 11 a.m. CT on Thursday.

“I think we’ve got a good group here that is all in on doing everything we can for the team,” Anderson said. “It’s a crazy year.”