The baseball gods can be fickle beasts sometimes. On the same night that he sent teammate Jean Segura to the clubhouse, Milwaukee Brewers star Ryan Braun left Saturday’s 5-3 win against the Chicago Cubs with an intercostal strain:
He finished 1-for-4 in the win before making way for Elian Herrera in the ninth inning.
That, of course, came after Braun accidentally hit Segura in the face while swinging his bat in the dugout, thus making the night doubly bad for the Brewers, despite picking up the victory.
Braun will no doubt be frustrated with the news. He’s answered his critics extremely well in 2014, boasting a slash line of .321/.366/.607, and has hit six home runs and driven in 18 runs. When you’re hitting that well, you don’t want to take any time out of the lineup.
After Saturday’s win, Milwaukee ran its record to 18-6 and opened a 5.5-game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Central. However, taking two starters out of their batting order is bound to affect their performance on the field. Depending on how long Braun and Segura might be out, the Brewers’ hot start may go cold very soon.
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