Dustin May goes six to prevail in Brewers debut

May might have peaked in May, but he’s still done quite well in posting a 2.92 ERA with 28 strikeouts over 24 2/3 innings in his last five starts. The Brewers don’t ask for lengthy outings from their starters, which should work in May’s favor. His fantasy value should increase a tad with the deal, though there is the risk that the Brewers will occasionally pull him with a lead in the fifth. The Brewers will have to decide whether to go to a six-man rotation for now or to have May replace Robert Gasser.

Alexander Frias and Josiah Ragsdale are going to St. Louis, according to MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy. May could replace Robert Gasser in the Brewers rotation or the team could shift back to a six-man setup for now. Romero will take some pressure off Aaron Ashby in relief once he comes off the IL.

May put together a solid start here while it was obvious that the Cardinals were trying to protect him. He got through his five scoreless innings, but didn’t face a single batter for a third time and was yanked at just 70 pitches. His fastball also trended down closer to 95 mph from his usual 97 in that fifth or final inning. To further defend that decision, May’s command was all over the place and he only forced three total swings-and-misses. In the end, May has faltered over the last month, was wild again here, and the Cardinals did well to quit while they were ahead. May is a trade candidate ahead of Monday’s deadline, so keep an eye out for where and when his next start is.

May allowed seven hits on the evening while issuing just one base on balls. The lone tally against him came on an RBI double off the bat of Tyler Stephenson in the fourth inning. Aside from that, he was in complete command. He exited after six innings with a 2-1 lead and in line for a victory, but the Cardinals’ bullpen was unable to hang on for him. May generated 14 whiffs on 89 pitches on the night, registering an elite CSW of 36 percent. He’ll bring a 4.59 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and a 103/33 K/BB ratio (104 innings) into Wednesday’s divisional showdown against the Cubs.

May gave up eight hits, walked four and struck out six. He fell to 5-7 with the loss. Saturday wasn’t May’s best start and it was the third time he’s allowed at least five runs in his last five starts. The 28-year-old right-hander has a 4.78 ERA and a 3.89 xFIP. May’s .328 BABIP allowed and 63 percent left on base percentage also point to him being unlucky this year. He’s lined up to face the Diamondbacks at home next week.

McGreevy had an outstanding first half for the Cardinals, posting a 3.01 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and a 66/23 K/BB ratio over 101 2/3 innings through his first 18 starts. Dustin May will follow on Saturday with Andre Pallante taking the ball in Sunday’s series finale.

May needed 84 pitches to get through the four frames, as he issued four walks while procuring four strikeouts. It’s a disappointing end to the first half for May, who has pitched much better as of late than his 4.55 ERA on the year might indicate. The 28-year-old could be back on the bump over the weekend after the All-Star break, but the Cardinals haven’t set their rotation as of yet.

The Cardinals said May was on a pitch count of 65 tonight after leaving his last start with an ankle contusion, but they let him throw 81 to try to get the win. They finally pulled him with a 2-0 lead after back-to-back singles with two outs. The Brewers went on to score four runs in the seventh anyway, so it probably wouldn’t have mattered had May gotten through five. It was still a really nice outing after a couple of misfires. He’s allowed zero, zero, six, five and zero runs in his last five starts. He’ll next face the Braves on Saturday.

May suffered a right ankle contusion during his previous outing against Atlanta last week and simply hasn’t thrown a ton of pitches in any single outing since reeling off a one-hitter against the Padres back on June 15. The Cardinals aren’t going to push him too much from a workload standpoint with the All-Star break literally around the corner. The firm pitch count dampens his appeal for fantasy purposes, especially against a Milwaukee lineup that tends to do considerable damage against right-handed starters.

May was drilled in the ankle by a batted ball off the bat of Dominic Smith in the opening inning, then remained in the game to face three additional hitters, so it was unclear initially if he was pulled due to injury or ineffectiveness. Either way, he was saddled with five runs on five hits and a pair of walks in just 2/3 of an inning. It sounds like he was able to avoid serious injury though, so he may be able to take his final turn in the Cardinals’ rotation before the All-Star break.