D-backs’ Braden Shipley welcomed to MLB by Brewers home runs
Jul 25, 2016, 7:42 PM | Updated: 9:08 pm
Arizona Diamondbacks' Braden Shipley pitches to an Milwaukee Brewers' batter during the first inning of a baseball game Monday, July 25, 2016, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Tom Lynn)
(AP Photo/Tom Lynn)
Braden Shipley shrugged off the Brewers’ first-inning solo home run, shrugged off a third-inning shot and shrugged off another run scored in the fifth frame. His Diamondbacks trailed 3-2 heading into the sixth inning of the 24-year-old pitcher’s MLB debut on Monday.
Finally, Milwaukee bit the right-hander too hard for him to overcome.
With an out and two on via singles, Shipley earned a mound visit from Arizona pitching coach Mike Butcher.
On his first pitch afterward, Martin Maldonado hit a three-run homer to give the Brewers a 6-2 lead, effectively ending Shipley’s debut after 5.1 innings and 101 pitches. Shipley threw just 63 strikes, allowing eight hits, six earned runs and three home runs. He also walked four and struck out four in an eventual 7-2 Arizona loss.
“He checked off a lot of boxes. Thought he threw some real good curveballs. Changeup was probably a little hard tonight, a little up,” manager Chip Hale told FOX Sports Arizona’s Jody Jackson. “That’s kind of what got him in a little trouble. I was very happy with what I saw.”
Shipley’s first inning went long. His fastball sat high in the zone for Scooter Gennett, who drilled a solo shot to center.
The pitcher walked Ryan Braun with a six-pitch at-bat before Jonathan Lucroy dropped a hit into shallow center to put runners on the corners with an out. But Shipley worked out of trouble by striking out Kirk Nieuwenhuis and forcing a groundout by Hernan Perez to get out of the first frame.
“After the first inning, the one home run, I just told myself to go back out there and give the team six more strong,” Shipley told Jackson.
The second went more cleanly for the D-backs’ best pitching prospect and in the top of the third, Shipley doubled in his first MLB at-bat to lead off the frame. He would score on an RBI by Jean Segura that tied the game, 1-1.
A hanging changeup Shipley served to Jonathan Villar at the bottom of the inning gave Milwaukee a 2-1 lead, and after Arizona again tied the game, a lead-off double by Villar in the fifth led to an RBI single by Ryan Braun, giving the Brewers a 3-2 advantage.
Then came the kicker.
With two on and one out, Shipley’s 78-mph curveball hung over the plate, and Maldonado took advantage.
“Unfortunately, I think he was just sitting on that pitch,” Shipley said. “Looking back though .. it was a pitch that was working well for me.”
Aside from the three home runs, Shipley showed promise with as-advertised secondary pitches that kept batters off-balance. The Arizona pitcher often found himself ahead in counts, but at times struggled to find the zone for third strikes.
Shipley induced seven groundouts and two flyouts in his first major league game.
“Now we move on to his next start. We’ll expect a little more next time but (we saw) a lot of good things,” Hale added.
