Gyorko's brother predicts relief appearance

MILWAUKEE -- Call it brotherly intuition on an otherwise tough night.

At 7:56 p.m. CT on Wednesday, with the Brewers well on their way to a 12-2 loss to the Twins, Randy Gyorko weighed in on Twitter.

“Jedd is gonna pitch tonight,” he said. “I feel it.”

And at 9:04 p.m. CT, what do you know? Brewers infielder Jedd Gyorko was on the mound at Miller Park for the third pitching appearance of his career. Twins catcher Mitch Garver led off with a single, but Gyorko retired Ehire Adrianza on a popup, Alex Avila on a lineout and Eddie Rosario on a lazy fly to left field to end the inning.

Gyorko also pitched for the Cardinals in 2018 and ’19. He lowered his lifetime ERA to 3.86 and gave the Brewers a lift.

“Any time you send a position player out there you just want him to get through the inning,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “He’s saving an inning for somebody on the pitching staff, and that’s a big deal.

“I think is also serves to lighten the mood in a game like this. It’s always served that purpose for us, I think. Any time a position player walks in after the inning and he survives it, the dugout is happy, you know? It’s not that easy. He did great. He threw strikes and was quick. He was huffing and puffing a little bit after 13 pitches, but he made it and he saved an inning for us in the ‘pen.”