Shaun Marcum Leaves Second Straight Start Early, Will Still Make Next Start

Shaun Marcum is off to a fantastic start for the Milwaukee Brewers, going 7-2 with a 2.85 ERA and a stellar strikeout-to-walk ratio in 15 starts for his new team. His start against the Red Sox on Friday was cut short, though, with what was described as a strained hip flexor.

He made his next start on Wednesday against the Rays, but after 54 pitches, Marcum left his again with what was assumed to be a recurrence of the injury. Turns out, though, that the Brewers were planning on pulling him early. From the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel:

Despite the hip strain that shortened his previous outing to one inning in Boston, Marcum was given the start for what manager Ron Roenicke had decided would be a shortened outing.

Marco Estrada came on in long relief for the Brewers, and he likely will step into the rotation if Marcum were to miss a start, but Marcum told the Journal-Sentinel that he isn’t expecting that:

“But it felt good when I was pitching. I didn’t notice it or feel anything out there on the mound. If I didn’t (pitch) it would have been even more of a setback. I’m definitely glad I pitched today. I’m glad I came out of the game healthy, or healthier, I feel like, and be ready to go next week.”

Good news for a team that put a lot of effort into turning their rotation from a weakness into a strength this offseason, but haven’t had a lot of luck of getting their new pitchers healthy at the same time.