53 Brandon Woodruff SP

Woodruff allowed one hit and struck out eight over seven innings in Wednesday's extra-inning win over the Cubs. He did not factor in the decision.

Woodruff was fantastic in a pitchers' duel with the Cubs' Kyle Hendricks on Wednesday. Only three runners reached base against Woodruff -- which came via an error, a single and a fielder's choice. The right-hander is still in search of his first win, but he has a strong 2.45 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 13:2 K:BB across 11 innings this season. He's expected to face the Cubs again Tuesday in his next start.

Woodruff didn't factor into the decision in Thursday's extra-inning win over the Twins. He gave up three runs on six hits and two walks while fanning five across four innings.

Woodruff started on Opening Day for the second straight year but wasn't very effective, lasting just four innings despite tossing 50 of his 78 pitches for strikes. He found a way to limit the damage, however, and that bodes well for the 28-year-old right-hander as he looks to build on a 2020 campaign in which he posted career highs in ERA (3.05), WHIP (0.99) and K/9 (11.12).

Woodruff was named the Brewers' Opening Day starter as expected Thursday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Woodruff will square off against Kenta Maeda and the Twins on April 1. He'll be making his second consecutive Opening Day start, becoming the first Brewer to do so since Yovani Gallardo received the honor in five consecutive seasons from 2010 to 2014.

Woodruff threw two scoreless innings in his second start of the spring Friday. He allowed five hits, struck out one batter and walked none.

Woodruff allowed a few too many runners to reach base Friday, but he did keep the ball in the park after allowing two homers in his first spring start. He figures to start two or three more times before the regular season gets underway.

Woodruff made his spring debut Monday and allowed two earned runs over two innings against the Angels. He struck out one batter, walked none and served up two home runs.

Woodruff was slowed by a back injury this spring. He was sharp in his first inning, retiring all three batters he faced -- including punching out Mike Trout. However, he ran into trouble in his second frame, serving up long balls to Anthony Rendon and Justin Upton. The Angels certainly didn't send their B team out there Monday, so the long balls shouldn't be cause for concern at this point. Woodruff will have plenty of time to get ready for Opening Day; barring any setbacks, he will almost certainly take the ball that day against the Twins.

Woodruff (back) is scheduled to start Monday's spring game against the Angels, Sophia Minnaert of Fox Sports Wisconsin reports.

The 28-year-old pitched against live hitters Thursday with no issues and is poised to make his spring debut Monday. Woodruff was originally scheduled to start last Tuesday, so the back stiffness only ended up pushing back his first outing of the spring by less than a week. Assuming he doesn't suffer any setbacks, the right-hander shouldn't have any issues being ready for Opening Day.

Woodruff (back) successfully faced hitters Thursday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Woodruff was scratched from his scheduled start Tuesday due to back stiffness, but his live batting practice session Thursday went as planned. Manager Craig Counsell said that Woodruff's next step will be pitching in a Cactus League game, although it's not yet clear when that will occur. As long as he doesn't experience any setbacks, he should have plenty of time to prepare for Opening Day.

Woodruff (back) will face hitters Thursday, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Woodruff was scratched from his Tuesday start with back stiffness, though the Brewers said at the time that the issue wasn't a big deal. He threw a bullpen session that same day and will now throw live batting practice Thursday, leaving him with plenty of time to get up to speed by Opening Day, assuming he avoids any setbacks.

Woodruff's (back) bullpen session went well Tuesday, and he should pitch in a game Thursday or Friday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

It remains to be seen whether Woodruff will start a Cactus League game later this week or pitch in a camp game. Any pitcher injury early in camp is worth monitoring closely, but there doesn't presently seem to be any concern about Woodruff's availability for the start of the regular season.

Woodruff (back) is slated to throw a bullpen session Tuesday, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Woodruff was initially lined up to make his Cactus League debut Tuesday against the Athletics, but the Brewers scratched him a day in advance of the game after he experienced some back stiffness. Manager Craig Counsell downplayed the injury Monday, and the fact that Woodruff will still be allowed to throw in some capacity Tuesday supports the notion that his back soreness is only a minor concern. If all goes well during the bullpen session, Woodruff could be cleared to pitch in a Cactus League or simulated game this weekend.

Woodruff will not make his scheduled start Tuesday after experiencing slight back stiffness, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Manager Craig Counsell said the issue is no big deal, and that Woodruff will be moved back a couple days, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. Josh Lindblom will get the start Tuesday instead. Counsell said there was flexibility built into the rotation schedule to account for minor issues like this. While the Brewers are downplaying the situation, fantasy managers should factor in slightly more risk with regards to Woodruff's health entering the season.

Woodruff agreed to a one-year contract with the Brewers on Friday, avoiding arbitration.

Woodruff ranked seventh in the majors in innings (73.2) and ninth in K-BB% (24.9) last season, so he is rightfully being treated like an ace in fantasy drafts. He is certainly the Brewers' ace, and the one starting pitcher on the team who can be reliably counted on to log five-plus innings per outing.

Woodruff gave up three earned runs on five hits and zero walks while striking out nine in 4.2 innings Thursday against the Dodgers.

He did not pitch poorly, but he gave up a few singles in the bottom of the fifth inning and Mookie Betts' bases-clearing double was the finishing blow. Woodruff cemented his status as a frontline starter this season, finishing 10th in the majors with 91 strikeouts while his 3.05 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 73.2 innings were also top-20 marks among qualified pitchers.

Woodruff will start Game 2 of the NL Wild Card Series against the Dodgers on Thursday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

The right-hander delivered eight scoreless innings Saturday against the Cardinals, and he'll remain on schedule and pitch a pivotal Game 2 versus the Dodgers. Woodruff had a strong 2020 season with a 3.05 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 91:18 K:BB across 73.2 innings, and he'll look to carry that level of play into the postseason.

Woodruff (3-5) tossed eight scoreless innings of two-hit baseball Saturday against the Cardinals as he picked up his third win of the season. He walked one batter and struck out 10 in the outing.

Woodruff kept the Brewers' playoff hopes alive Saturday with a dominant performance against the division-rival Cardinals. The right-hander came into the game with the fourth-highest fastball velocity in the National League at 96.4 MPH and was blowing pitches by the Cardinal hitters while occasionally topping out the heater at 98. Woodruff lasted eight innings for the first time in 2020 while recording double-digit punchouts for the second time this month. He'll end the regular season with a 3.05 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 91:18 K:BB across 73.2 innings.

Woodruff (2-5) took the loss Monday against the Reds, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks across 5.2 innings. He fanned nine.

Woodruff was solid once again, but took a tough-luck loss in his second consecutive outing. He was able to get the first two outs of the sixth after logging five scoreless frames, but a two-run shot by Eugenio Suarez bounced him from the game and left him on the hook for the loss. Despite falling to 2-5, Woodruff has allowed just five runs while fanning 26 across his last 19.2 innings.

Woodruff (2-4) took the loss while tossing a complete game (seven innings) in Game 1 of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Cardinals, allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits. He fanned five and did not issue a walk.

It was a strong showing for Woodruff, but unfortunately for the right-hander, Adam Wainwright was even better for St. Louis. Woodruff was spotted an early 2-0 lead in the first inning, but that would be the only run support the Brewers would give him. The Cardinals belted a pair of solo homers and were able to grind out two more runs (one unearned) to hand the 27-year-old his fourth loss of the season. Despite the defeat, Woodruff appears to be trending in a positive direction, allowing just three earned runs across 14 innings during consecutive quality starts. His next start is scheduled to come Tuesday against the Reds.

Woodruff (2-3) threw seven shutout innings on Friday, allowing one hit while striking out 12 during the Brewers' 1-0 victory over the Cubs.

After struggling against the Cubs in their previous matchup, Woodruff bounced back in a pitchers' duel, throwing 71 of his 100 pitches for strikes in the victory. He'll carry a 3.40 ERA into his start against the Cardinals next week.

Woodruff allowed three earned runs on four hits and three walks while striking out seven across 4.1 innings Saturday against Cleveland. He did not factor into the decision.

Woodruff got through four scoreless innings with relative ease. However, things quickly took a turn in the fifth frame, as he allowed a walk, double and home run consecutively before being pulled from the contest. Positively, Woodruff continued to rack up strikeouts, and he now has 22 punchouts across his last 15.1 frames. He'll look to work deeper into his next start, currently projected to come Friday against the Cubs.

Woodruff was reinstated from the paternity list Thursday.

Woodruff rejoins the Brewers' roster after being placed on the paternity list Monday. The right-hander did not miss a start and is slated to take the ball Saturday against Cleveland. He will look to improve upon his last outing, in which he allowed four runs while taking the loss to the Pirates.