MILWAUKEE -- Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Carlos Gomez left Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates with lower back tightness and is day-to-day.
Gomez was replaced in the field prior to the top of the sixth inning, as replays showed him grimacing diving back into first base on a pickoff attempt in the bottom of the fifth inning.
"Gomey woke up yesterday with a tight lower back," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. "BP was tough for him to swing. He wanted to play so we had him out there, but it didn't get any better."
Facing Gerrit Cole for the first time since the two were involved in a benches-clearing incident in Pittsburgh on April 20, Gomez struck out, was hit by a pitch and scored in the third and walked in the fifth.
"I don't know if he aggravated it, but it certainly didn't get any better," Roenicke said.
Despite past history, the umpiring crew did not issue warnings after Cole hit Gomez, as the pitch that hit the center fielder was a changeup that appeared to get away from the right-hander.
Gomez is soon expected to hear the results of his appeal of a three-game suspension issued after the incident in Pittsburgh. The Brewers can ill afford to lose Gomez for an extended period of time, especially with Aramis Ramirez already on the disabled list and Ryan Braun just working his way back.
With Gomez out of the game, Logan Schafer moved from left field to center field and Elian Herrera took over in left. The Brewers had to do another shift in the outfield when Braun left the game after the sixth inning as part of a plan to ease him back from an oblique strain.
Khris Davis came in for Braun and singled and doubled in his two plate appearances, while Herrera also went 2-for-2.
Roenicke and Braun both said no such plan was in place prior to the game, leading to some speculation that the right fielder aggravated his injury, but that was not the case.
"Brauny is fine," Roenicke said. "That was planned ahead of time with him coming out. It made it really tough with Gomey, though."
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