PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers sent struggling star outfielder Ryan Braun to Los Angeles on Wednesday for treatment on his achy right thumb.
Braun is expected to rejoin the first-place Brewers on Thursday when they begin a four-game series at Miller Park against St. Louis.
The Brewers planned to play without Braun on Wednesday. Turns out, they didn’t have to.
The finale of Milwaukee’s three-game series against Pittsburgh was postponed by heavy downpours at PNC Park that turned hallways leading from the dugouts to the clubhouses into raging rivers.
A makeup date was not immediately announced.
Officials delayed the scheduled 7:05 p.m. start Wednesday as showers loomed. Groundskeepers took the tarp off around 8 p.m., but quickly put it back in place after another rain band moved in. The game was called after a delay of 2 hours, 1 minute.
This is the second time this season the Pirates have been forced to postpone a home game due to inclement weather. It was the 39th postponement in the majors this year, matching the total from all of last season.
The Brewers are scheduled to visit PNC Park twice more this season. The teams do have a common day off on Sept. 20 right before the Brewers begin a three-game set in Pittsburgh.
Chad Kuhl, Pittsburgh’s scheduled starter on Wednesday, will instead get the nod when the Pirates begin a four-game series against Arizona on Thursday.
There was no immediate word on if the Brewers would alter their rotation against St. Louis. Brent Suter was scheduled to start Wednesday against the Pirates, with Junior Guerra slated to take the hill on Thursday.
Brewers bullpen catcher Marcus Hanel did his best to have a little bit of fun in the monsoon. He did a series of belly flops on the tarp shortly after the game was called.
By then, Braun was already on the West Coast to have cryotherapy on his right thumb.
“It’s something that he expects from time to time, and when it starts, we try to get in front of it and knock it out right away,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said.
Counsell said it’s the fifth time Braun has had the procedure done over the last few years. The six-time All-Star is hitting just .236 with eight home runs and 31 RBIs this season and is mired in a 3-for-17 slump.
The Pirates announced Wednesday that third baseman Jung Ho Kang is dealing with discomfort in his left wrist while playing for Triple-A Indianapolis.
Kang, who is in the process of returning after missing the entire 2017 season following his arrest on DUI charges in South Korea, is considered “day to day.”
The team also placed outfielder Corey Dickerson on the Family Medical Emergency List and recalled utility player Adam Frazier from Triple-A Indianapolis. The team offered no details on the reason for Dickerson’s departure, but he will be away from the club for at least three days.
