Dizziness prompts Braun's early exit from Brewers' loss to Pirates
Milwaukee Brewers right fielder Ryan Braun left in the top of the sixth inning of Wednesday's 2-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates due to what the club announced as dizziness.
Hernan Perez pinch hit for Braun with two outs in the sixth and grounded out to end the inning.
"He was dizzy," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "He was just kind of out of it. He didn't feel like he could hit at all. He's day-to-day."
Braun told reporters after the game that he first felt the dizziness was due to dehydration, but fluid on his eardrum was the actual cause.
With Carlos Gomez sitting to rest sore legs, fourth outfielder Shane Peterson started in left field with Gerardo Parra in center field. After Braun's exit, Counsell was forced to use infielder Hector Gomez in left field with Peterson moving over to right field.
Hector Gomez had not played the outfield in the big leagues prior to Wednesday.
Braun was hitless in two at-bats against Pirates starter Charlie Morton, as he struck out in the first and tapped back to the mound in the fourth. He is hitting .294 (5 for 17) with a home run, two doubles and two RBI since returning after missing two games due to a cryotherapy procedure on his right thumb.
Braun told reporters he expects to play Thursday when the Brewers open a four-game series with the Washington Nationals at Miller Park.
"He was just light-headed," Counsell said. "I don't think it is anything serious, but he couldn't continue."
No sweep: The Brewers mustered just three hits against Morton and two Pirates relievers.
Series wins in Minnesota and Pittsburgh gave Milwaukee its first winning road trip of the season, but the Brewers failed to complete sweeps at both stops.
"After the first inning he got in a rhythm," Counsell said. "It was sinker and curveball to the righties and sinker, changeup with a couple curveballs to the lefties. It looked like he was struggling with his release point in the first inning, but he really put it together after that."
Kyle Lohse worked out of multiple jams to limit the Pirates to just two runs on 10 hits over six innings, but the veteran right-hander fell to 3-7 on the season with the loss.
The Brewers haven't swept a three-game series since Aug. 15-17 of last season in Los Angeles. In Minnesota it was Mike Pelfrey preventing the sweep, while Morton did the job Wednesday.
"We're in these games," Counsell said. "Our pitching is giving us a chance. That's what you want. You have to give us a chance, and the pitching is giving the offense a chance, for sure.
"I thought we played good baseball on this trip, excluding the first inning in St. Louis on Wednesday."
Lights out bullpen: With Neal Cotts, Michael Blazek and Corey Knebel covering 1 2/3 innings Wednesday, Milwaukee's bullpen completed the nine-game road trip having allowed just one earned run in 22 1/3 innings (0.40 ERA).
The lone run of the trip against the relief corps came when Twins second baseman Brian Dozier hit a solo home run off Jonathan Broxton in the eighth inning of Milwaukee's 4-2 victory Saturday.
"They've been excellent," Counsell said. "We thought if we'd get through that seventh inning (Wednesday) it would give us two more shots at cracking it."
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