Brewers news: Misiorowski's historic start, Lockridge injury update, Drohan steps up

The Milwaukee Brewers opened their three-game series with the American League-leading New York Yankees at American Family Field last night, and it's safe to say the Brew Crew were the ones "spreading the news." Milwaukee, who entered the night in fourth place in the NL Central despite holding a solid 19-16 record and a +46 run differential, blanked the Bronx Bombers in large part thanks to an incredible performance from the flame-throwing Jacob Misiorowski.

Facing 3x All-Star Max Fried, the Brewers leaned into their small-ball approach and plated four runs in the second inning without the benefit of an extra-base hit. RBI singles from Brandon Lockridge, Sal Frelick, and Jackson Chourio were to thank for the Crew's quartet of runs off the Yankees' talented southpaw, Fried, in the second frame.

The Brewers did make use of extra-base hits for their fifth and sixth runs of the contest, with the former kicked off by a ground-rule double by Andrew Vaughn in the third inning, who was plated by another RBI single from Lockridge, and the latter due to Joey Ortiz's first extra-base hit of the season, which preceded an RBI single from William Contreras in the bottom of the seventh. However, despite the Brewers scratching six runs across on the generally stingy Yankees' pitching staff, the story of the game was most certainly the incredible performance that Miz put together.

Jacob Misiorowski once again displays record-breaking velocity in six shutout innings against Yankees

Not only did Miz toss six scoreless innings against one of the most formidable lineups in baseball, racking up 11 strikeouts and surrendering just two hits and two walks in the process, but he did so in record-breaking fashion. Misiorowski obviously has unique velocity on his fastball, but last night it reached new heights.

According to the great Sarah Langs, MLB.com's expert statistician, Misiorowski threw the five fastest pitches ever recorded by a starting pitcher in the first inning of last night's game against the Yankees.

Also from the desk of Sarah Langs: Miz's four strikeouts on pitches over 102 mph last night were the most ever by a pitcher in a single appearance, his 22 fastballs over 102 mph were two more than any pitcher has ever thrown in one outing, and Miz continued to add to his MLB-leading collection of the most 102+ mph pitches in his career, which currently sits at 40. In other words, Miz had his best stuff last night, and proved he can dominate any lineup in baseball when he's at his best.

Misiorowski earned his third win of the season, lowered his ERA to just 2.45, and now has 70 strikeouts on the season, four more than any other pitcher in baseball. He continues to build upon his exciting rookie campaign and establish himself as the next ace of the Brewers' pitching staff.

Brandon Lockridge expected to miss time after scary knee injury in Friday night's game

While Friday night's victory was mostly filled with good news for the Brew Crew, one storyline landed in the bad news category. After collecting two RBI singles in the first three innings of Friday night's game, left fielder Brandon Lockridge injured his knee while sliding into the wall in foul territory in the top of the fourth inning.

Lockridge had to be carted off the field and received imaging before the end of the game. In his postgame interview, Pat Murphy revealed that x-rays on Lockridge's knee were thankfully negative, meaning there is no fracture present. However, Murphy also relayed that there's a significant laceration in Lockridge's knee and he's "going to be out a while" as reported by Adam McCalvy of MLB.com.

It's a tough development for Lockridge, who was taking advantage of his first taste of consistent playing time in the big leagues. While he wasn't displaying the power that he showcased in Spring Training, Lockridge was consistently getting on base and carried a solid .294/.368/.341 slash line through the first six weeks of the season. The Brewers will presumably place Lockridge on the IL tomorrow, a move that will coincide with one of the current Triple-A outfielders, likely Blake Perkins, being promoted to the major league roster.

Shane Drohan continues impressive showing in bullpen with first major league save of his career

While Misiorowski took care of business in the first six innings, and the Brewers' offense built a substantial lead, not to be overlooked from last night's game is the performance that left-hander Shane Drohan put together. Drohan covered the final three innings of the game, and in doing so, earned his first major league save.

Drohan's number is likely to be called upon much more frequently as the Brewers search for a southpaw to replace Ángel Zerpa, who is set to undergo Tommy John surgery on Monday. Drohan, who made his MLB debut as a starting pitcher earlier this year, has been excellent since being moved to the Brewers' bullpen. He's covered 13.1 innings in five appearances out of the 'pen and surrendered just three earned runs during that span.

Last night, Drohan allowed just one hit in his three innings of work while striking out three Yankees, including top prospect Spencer Jones, who was making his MLB debut. With Zerpa on the IL, as well as left-handers Jared Koenig and Rob Zastryzny currently out with injuries, Drohan has an opportunity to prove his value on the Brewers' big-league staff, and so far, he's taking advantage of said opportunity.

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