MILWAUKEE — Manager Craig Counsell didn’t think it was all that unusual that the Brewers started right-hander Julio Tehran against the Giants on Thursday, just about two hours after he signed a contract.
“It’s very similar to a trade,” Counsell shrugged. “I think CC Sabathia, who is here tonight, did that. I think we traded for him and he pitched the first day he was here.”
Time flies because that was 15 years ago. Sabathia, a special assistant to MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, was actually at American Family Field Thursday to watch Tehran’s quite inspired return to the sport’s biggest stage after serving in the Brewers’ 5-0 loss for more than two years was absent against the Giants.
Tehran filled a gap in an injury-riddled rotation and delivered five solid innings while keeping the Giants on a run on four hits (all singles) with a walk and five strikeouts. The game was closer than the final score suggested. LaMonte Wade Jr.’s RBI single with two outs in the fifth inning was the only run for both teams until the Giants knocked Tyson Miller down for four runs in the eighth inning. The Brewers scored just four goals in a bullpen game for the Giants; 3 2/3 innings were delivered by lefties, the Brewers’ Achilles’ heel.
Tehran threw 85 pitches and hit a top speed of 91.7 mph in his first start since April 3, 2021 with the Tigers. A shoulder injury cut short a great big league career, which he spent mostly with the Braves. His five strikeouts were the most since Tehran’s six strikeouts in September 2019, when he was still considered a top starter. In a seven-season span in which he made two National League All-Star teams, Tehran tossed 150 innings each year and delivered a 3.64 ERA for Atlanta.
“When I signed the contract [Thursday afternoon]”I kind of felt like I was back,” Tehran said. “Today I was really focused. It’s something I’ve done my whole life, pitching in front of a lot of people. It was like, “This is where I deserve and where I worked.” I went out there and competed.”
Counsell noted that Tehran’s delivery was closer to a three-quarter slot than he remembered from Atlanta. Giants outfielder Michael Conforto, the former Met who made 30 tackles against Tehran with Atlanta, also noted the different looks.
“He threw more four-seam fastballs in the zone,” Conforto said. “From what I remember there were more sinkers and he came in a little bit more. … He pitched pretty well in the first five innings. The reverse four-seam method seems to work a little better for him.”
Thursday’s outing continued a strong streak for starters who weren’t in the Brewers’ opening-day roster but are now key supports for a team trying to pull through the brutal injury streak. Colin Rea and Adrian Houser each delivered 5 1/3 innings of scoreless balls in back-to-back shutout victories over the Astros on Tuesday and Wednesday before Tehran survived a physical and was active for Milwaukee’s opener game against the Giants.
He had become a free agent days earlier by retiring from a minor league contract with the Padres. Tehran was 4-2 with a 5.62 ERA for Triple-A El Paso, including a 3.74 ERA in his last four starts.
“He threw the ball well. “It’s hard pitching out there on the moon,” said Brewers GM Matt Arnold, a nod to El Paso’s high-altitude and hitter-friendly reputation. “If you’re trying to plug a hole, you could do worse than a two-time All-Star.
“We are always looking. Especially when you start pitching, you have to have it. When it comes to helpers, they say, “We can find it.” But find people to do it [start], this is difficult. We like the experience. And we hear he’s a great guy.”
Tehran said the past two years had been “tough” as he tried to recover and find a chance at a major league club. Prior to his minor league contract with the Padres, he worked in independent ball and in Mexico.
“That was part of the process, that was part of the challenge I was facing,” he said. “I knew that if I did what I’ve been doing for the past several years, I would come back eventually. I’m kind of proud of myself and the work I’ve done to get back into the big leagues.”
Counsell said, “He pitches like he knows what he’s doing and that’s about what we expected.”