MILWAUKEE — Friday night against Pittsburgh, the Milwaukee Brewers trotted out just one infielder who started the season on Milwaukee's major league roster. On Saturday, he couldn't make it through the entirety of the Brewers' 5-1 win over the Pirates.
Aramis Ramirez left Saturday's game with what Brewers manager Ron Roenicke called a left quad strain. He'll be re-evaluated before Sunday's game by team doctor William Raasch to decide whether he'll be in the starting lineup.
Roenicke said the injury didn't seem all that serious, but given the Brewers' recent history with injuries, it's hard to be sure until the final diagnosis is in.
"He could've stayed in," Roenicke said. "But he told me that it was bugging him some, so I think it definitely was safe to get him out of there. Tomorrow, we'll see how he is. We'll go day-to-day on that. With the off day the next day, we'll see how that goes."
With star outfielder Ryan Braun out with a lingering Achilles' injury on Saturday, Ramirez was one of the few healthy bats in the lineup. Now it's uncertain whether either of them will be in the lineup for Sunday's rubber match against Pittsburgh.
Neither Roenicke nor Ramirez could specify exactly when the strain had taken place, but Ramirez said he first felt something after hitting a double in the second inning. It continued to hurt when he chased a fly ball soon after that.
Eventually, the pain in his quad had grown too much for him to remain in the game. Still, Ramirez was confident about being able to get back in the lineup for the final game of the series.
"I'll be fine," Ramirez said after the game. "It's not that serious."
The Brewers will definitely need his bat on Sunday, especially if Braun's injury continues to linger, as the veteran third baseman is on fire as of late, hitting .348 with three home runs and 11 RBI in his past 11 games. Before leaving the game on Saturday, Ramirez was 2 for 3 with two runs scored.
Fairly resilient in spite of the team's bevy of injuries this season, Ramirez missed a pair of games against Arizona last weekend after being hit by a pitch on the elbow. He has played in 49 of the Brewers' 53 games this season.
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