Milwaukee Brewers: Is Jimmy Nelson injured?

The Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Chicago Cubs by the score of 2-to-0 on Friday night. The Brewers picked up a full game in the standing, but they may have lost a key member of the pitching staff. Why did starter Jimmy Nelson exit early and how much time will he miss?

Milwaukee Brewers starter Jimmy Nelson stung a deep single off the ivy in left field in the top of the fifth inning. He attempted to stretch the single into a double, but retreated back to first. He appeared to slide awkwardly. His right shoulder or arm landed on the base. He came up shaking his right arm out, but stayed in the game. He came out to pitch the bottom of the fifth inning, but was lifted after.

How bad is Nelson’s injury?

We know he exited the game after the fifth inning with ‘right arm soreness’. That’s impossibly vague, but there’s a non-zero chance that it’s just a bruise. However, We won’t know for sure until there’s an official announcement from the team

The fact that Nelson came out for the bottom of the fifth and threw is a very positive sign. If the Milwaukee Brewers training staff thought the injury was serious, they wouldn’t allow him to come out for the bottom of the fifth inning.

If Nelson had to miss any time, the Brewers would have to turn to names like Brent Suter or Matt Garza to fill in. Based on their recent results, having to put Suter or Garza back in the rotation during a pennant race could spell the end of the Brewers playoff push.

How did Nelson look before he left the game?

Awesome. He worked the Cubs like a speed bag. Nelson needed 79 pitches to throw five scoreless innings. He surrendered only four hits and two walks while striking out seven. He lowered his ERA to 3.49 and earned his 12th win with help from the Milwaukee Brewers bullpen.

Next: Is Jimmy Nelson a Cy Young Award candidate?

A healthy Jimmy Nelson is absolutely vital to the Milwaukee Brewers push for a playoff spot. He’s their ace. They need him out there every fifth day to outclass the opposition and take pressure off the bullpen. The good news is that all the signs are pointing to this ‘injury’ as a minor annoyance at worst. It doesn’t look like Nelson is going to miss a start, but we’ll only know for sure when the Brewers make an announcement.