Brewers' Brandon Woodruff is out for NL wild-card series – and maybe longer

On the eve of the Milwaukee Brewers’ return to the postseason, manager Craig Counsell dropped an unfortunate bombshell.

Right-hander Brandon Woodruff, the team’s expected starter for Game 2 of the National League wild-card series matchup with the Arizona Diamondbacks at American Family Field on Wednesday, is going to miss at least the series due to a shoulder injury.

“He has a right shoulder capsular injury," Counsell told reporters Monday. "We're working on a second opinion for Brandon. Frankly, his availability for the postseason is up in the air at this point."

Counsell would not commit to starting Freddy Peralta in Woodruff's place. Peralta was scheduled to start a potential Game 3.

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The capsule – the lining of the joint – can affect stability within the shoulder, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Woodruff spent a large portion of the season on the injured list after suffering a subscapular strain in his second start in April.

He returned in early August and has been one of Milwaukee's best starters – as expected – since.

Overall, Woodruff went 5-1 with a 2.28 ERA and WHIP of 0.82 in 11 starts, with 74 strikeouts in 67 innings.

Counsell also said it was unclear whether Woodruff's previous injury played a role in this current setback.

Woodruff did labor a bit in his last start of the season at Miami on Sept. 23, throwing 87 pitches over five innings and experiencing a noticeable drop in his fastball velocity.

"There was something there," Counsell said. "He responded well over time, certain periods, but that's when it popped up again."

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