Adrian

Hernandez

Good idea. He has a better chance of getting back to the majors with the Brewers than most other teams.

El Duquecito is in the mix for a rotation spot, but it looks like the better bet is that he’ll make the Brewers as a middle reliever. You’ll want to keep an eye on him. He has some upside.

First, Hernandez accumulated 82 pitches by going the final five innings Thursday. He also suffered a bruised left leg after taking a shot off the bat of Donnie Sadler.

14 walks in 16 innings, hmmm, what would you do? ''We’re still trying to figure him out,’' Yost said. ''He misses (the strike zone) by a lot with some of his pitches.’' Ya think? The Brewers won’t need their fifth starter until Saturday. If you need the Brewers’ fifth starter at all, you’re in trouble.

He gave up five runs in 1 2/3 innings in his first start. Hernandez struggled in his time with the Brewers this year and probably won’t get much of a chance to make a team next spring. Still, the potential is there for him to be useful, even if it’s just as a middle reliever.

When he’s on, Hernandez, a minor league free agent, looks like someone who should be a successful big-league starter. Unfortunately, he had command issues while pitching in the majors and in Triple-A last season. At best, he might be able to make it as a middle reliever.

Hernandez struggled this spring, allowing six earned runs in 7 1/3 innings. Lee was better, but he was never a candidate to make the team.

Hernandez struck out six batters for the second outing in a row. He’s still a longshot to end up in the rotation, but he should make the Brewers as a middle reliever.