LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ryan Braun was out of the Milwaukee Brewers’ starting lineup for their NL wild-card elimination game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday night.
Braun was replaced in right field by Tyrone Taylor. Braun could be used as a pinch-hitter.
Braun left with mid-back discomfort in the fifth inning of a 4-2 loss on Wednesday after hitting a wall making a catch. He struck out twice.
He initially hurt himself last Sunday in the final game of the regular season reaching for a line drive over his head.
“Swinging, throwing, running, everything kind of hurt. For anyone who’s never had a rib cage or oblique issue, it’s really painful,” Braun said. “It didn’t get better by trying to play yesterday. So ultimately, it’s just about trying to put the team in the optimal position to win, and just kind of with where it’s at and how it’s feeling, I don’t think that me being in there from the start would have given us the best chance to win today.”
Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell tweaked his lineup for Game 2, dropping left fielder Christian Yelich from leadoff to the No. 2 spot. Center fielder Avisaíl García leads off.
Catcher Jacob Nottingham and Taylor both got the start after pinch hitting in Game 1. Designated hitter Ryon Healy was the cleanup batter. He went 1 for 7 during the regular season while spending most of it at the team's alternate site.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts made Will Smith the designated hitter, with Austin Barnes behind the plate to handle starter Clayton Kershaw. Edwin Rios had been the DH in Game 1.
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