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Brewers Veteran Right-Hander Becoming Valuable Part Of Rotation

Milwaukee Brewers veteran right-hander Colin Rea is becoming a valuable part of the starting rotation. With the team having utilized 10 different starting pitchers this season, he has proven to be a reliable, consistent contributor. Rea has worked a statement-making 38 1/3 innings, second only to newly anointed ace Freddy Peralta. It’s been an important factor as Milwaukee has weathered its pitching issues and remains in first place atop the National League Central standings with a 23-15 overall record (.605 winning percentage).

Colin Rea Becoming Valuable Part Of Brewers Rotation

Veteran Right-Hander Proving His Worth

The imposing 6-foot-5, 220-pound Rea has registered a 3-0 overall record in seven starts. He has allowed 15 runs on 37 hits with 25 strikeouts and 3.29 ERA. A shining example of his consistency came in his third and most recent victory, the Brewers’ 7-1 home-field win over the Tampa Bay Rays at American Family Field on May 1. He struck out five, allowing no runs and four hits to complete his third six-inning outing of the season. It was an encouraging feat as he finished with 99 pitches, his highest total since July 25, 2016. Rea has remained the picture of determination by working five innings or more in six starts. His season-low was 4 2/3 innings in a no-decision in a 6-5 road victory over the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday.

The victory over Tampa Bay took on added significance for Rea. It was his most pitches thrown in a single game since having Tommy John surgery in November 2016 as a member of the San Diego Padres organization.  “I felt like I could have kept going,” said Rea, in a post-game interview. “I definitely had some chances to put them away earlier. We got ahead and then I kind of wasted some pitches.”

Rea utilizes six pitches including a split-finger fastball, curveball, sweeper, four-seam fastball, cutter, and a sinker, ranging in speed from 81.7 to 92.5 MPH according to Baseball Savant.

Rea Leading By Example

The veteran right-hander is in his second stint with the Brewers, and following a successful 2023 he signed a one-year $3.5 million contract. Rea, 33, is a seven-year MLB veteran who was originally drafted by San Diego in the 12th round in 2011. Last season with the Brewers, he logged a career-high 124 2/3 innings, yielding 65 runs on 110 hits with 110 strikeouts and 4.55 ERA.

Rea and Peralta stand out among the long list of starting pitchers for the Brewers this season. Joe Ross, DL Hall, Aaron Ashby, Wade Miley, Jakob Junis, Tobias Myers, Bryse Wilson, and recently called-up Robert Gasser have also started. The left-handed Gasser sparkled in his highly anticipated MLB debut, throwing six strong innings as the Brewers defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 11-2 Friday night.

Gasser became the fifth player to make his debut with the Brewers this season, joining Myers, Jackson Chourio, Oliver Dunn, and Tyler Black. He became the second player in franchise history to pitch six scoreless innings in his first outing, joining Brandon Woodruff who did it in 2017.

With the continued leadership of battle-tested veterans such as Rea and Peralta to help guide a group of promising new talent, stability in the rotation could be on the horizon for the first-place Brewers.

 

Photo Credit: © Joe Puetz-USA TODAY Sports

Jeff Hagenau

Jeff Hagenau

Jeff has been a sports writer in southeast Wisconsin for the past 27 years, covering at the high school, collegiate and professional levels. He graduated from Carroll University with a degree in journalism and covers the Milwaukee Brewers for Last Word On Sports.

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