Matt

Albers

With slumping closer Josh Hader getting a reprieve, Albers was called on to protect a 6-5 lead in the ninth. The right-hander definitely didn’t make it easy, walking three of the five men he faced before C.J. Cron finally ended the threat with a bases-loaded fly-out to deep center. A mere eight of Albers’ 21 pitches passed for strikes. It may take a bit for Hader to earn back Craig Counsell’s trust though as Wednesday showed, Albers is probably better suited for setup work than as Milwaukee’s last line of defense.

Albers was summoned to protect a narrow one-run lead because electric southpaw Josh Hader was likely unavailable after throwing a whopping 44 pitches the previous night. The 36-year-old veteran righty owns a 3.93 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 49/18 K/BB ratio across 50 1/3 innings of work this season. He can be safely ignored in all fantasy formats.

With Josh Hader unavailable, the Brewers handed the ball to Albers with a two-run lead in the ninth. He immediately got into trouble, yielding a single and RBI double as the Pirates cut the lead to one. However, following a sac bunt, Albers induced a groundout and soft lineout to end it. It’s the second save of the season for Albers, who could potentially get more shots to close games when Hader is off limits.

Summoned to protect a one-run lead with Josh Hader not available, Albers gave up a leadoff single to Starling Marte to bring the winning run to the plate. He settled in from there, getting the dangerous Josh Bell to fly out before inducing a game-ending double play from Jose Osuna. It was an interesting choice from manager Craig Counsell -- the save was the first of the year for Albers, and the 36-year-old has only four holds, so it’s not as though he’s been a high-leverage guy all year -- but it worked out well. He’ll likely go back to being a middle reliever moving forward.

The news isn’t unexpected, as Knebel had been diagnosed with ulnar collateral ligament damage and was seeking multiple opinions before making a decision. Obviously, he’s done for the 2019 campaign and he could get a late start in 2020, as well. Josh Hader got a two-inning save in the Brewers’ opener Thursday and might see more save opportunities, although the team likely prefers to keep him in his multi-inning fireman role. Matt Albers, Jacob Barnes, Alex Claudio, and Junior Guerra could also see opportunities, and Jeremy Jeffress (shoulder) might be the favorite for saves when he returns. There’s also the possibility that Milwaukee signs Craig Kimbrel, which has been rumored.

Knebel has ulnar collateral ligament damage and could potentially be facing Tommy John surgery, while Jeffress will miss at least the first few weeks of the season with shoulder weakness. The Brewers would prefer to keep Hader in a flexible multi-inning role, but they might not have that luxury, at least not to the extent they used to. “What I will tell you is it does change a little bit with Josh,” Counsell said. “We’re going to have to move Josh back in the game a little bit. Sometimes.” In addition to Hader, Matt Albers, Jacob Barnes and Junior Guerra could also get chances in the late innings. Of course, it would all be a moot point if the Brewers signed Craig Kimbrel, as has been rumored.

Jason Hirsh can’t be happy, as he’s being passed over for someone who hasn’t even pitched in Triple-A yet. Albers was brought up two weeks ago to be tried as a short reliever, but manager Phil Garner wasn’t interested in trying him for an inning at a time. It’s unlikely that he’s ready to be a successful starter at the major league level, but if he does pitch well Thursday, he’ll probably gain a permanent rotation spot.

Maybe the Astros are finally ready to try Jason Hirsh. If would have been interesting to see what Albers would have done as a short reliever. Manager Phil Garner, though, was unwilling to try him in that role at this time.

The Padres had scored two runs in three games before getting a look at Albers today. This should have been Jason Hirsh’s major league debut. If Albers is going to help, it figures to be in a relief role.

If the Astros aren’t going to reach the playoffs, they might as well help Round Rock as much as they can. Albers, J.R. House and Eric Munson all remain with the Express even though they could be useful parts for Houston. Albers fanned seven in the victory, which gave Round Rock a 2-1 series lead over Nashville.