53 Brandon Woodruff SP

Woodruff allowed three runs on eight hits while striking out five over seven innings in a winning effort Sunday against the Marlins.

The rookie -- making his sixth career start -- bounced back from his worst career outing to notch his third quality start in six chances. Other than a rough stretch in the fourth inning in which he allowed four straight hits, Woodruff kept Marlins hitters off the basepaths, for the most part, to even up his record at 2-2. Without a day off in the next week, Woodruff would line up to make his next start Friday at home against the Cubs.

Woodruff (1-2) was roughed up for six runs on seven hits and a walk with three strikeouts over five innings and took the loss Monday against Pittsburgh.

For the first time in five outings, Woodruff allowed more than two runs. The Pirates touched him up for two home runs, just the second and third he has allowed in his first major league career. While it was inevitable that a team would get to Woodruff eventually, he has done an excellent job of keeping the ball on the ground. Even after Monday's stinker, Woodruff owns a crispy 3.14 ERA.

Woodruff allowed one run on just two hits and one walk over seven innings in a no-decision against the Nationals on Saturday. He struck out eight.

It was an excellent performance from the young right-hander, as he got ahead in counts throughout the night (16 of 24 first-pitch strikes) and induced 13 swinging strikes. Both hits against Woodruff were singles, and both came in the fourth inning. He now has a 1.52 ERA and 20:9 K:BB in four starts for the Brewers, and he's done that while working mostly with his fastball and slider. Woodruff lines up to face the Cubs in his next scheduled start.

Woodruff was recalled from Triple-A Colorado Springs on Friday. He will start Saturday's game against the Nationals.

Woodruff should serve as the Brewers' No. 4 starter this month. He has posted a 1.62 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 12 strikeouts in 16.2 innings (three starts) in the majors this season after more than holding his own in the harsh conditions at Colorado Springs and the Pacific Coast League. That ERA looks pretty good, but his 5.25 xFIP suggests he has the potential to regress in a major way this month. If Woodruff stumbles, Junior Guerra is an option to get starts.

Woodruff will head back to the majors this weekend to make Saturday's start against Washington.

Woodruff is set to return to the rotation after being optioned to Triple-A Colorado Springs on Aug. 20. During his three starts with Milwaukee this year, Woodruff has given up just three earned runs off 15 hits and eight walks in 16.2 innings. Since the club didn't need a fifth starter until this upcoming weekend, the right-hander stayed fresh with Colorado Springs, tossing two shutout innings Thursday against New Orleans and completed a simulated game Monday. Moving forward, it seems as though Woodruff will be deployed as Milwaukee's No. 5 starter for the rest of the season.