Not only was the result of Opening Day on Monday a disappointment for the Milwaukee Brewers – a 10-0 loss to the Colorado Rockies – but there was some additional, long term concern when right fielder Ryan Braun was removed from the game early after straining his right side in the field.
Braun was not in the lineup for Tuesday’s game, but the former National League Most Valuable Player was encouraged by an MRI that didn’t reveal any serious injury, and he threw and took swings in the batting cage.
"A lot of times you know more the following day than the day that you irritate or injure something, and I woke up today feeling better than I did yesterday," Braun said.
Braun hopes that his absence will last "only a day or two" while manager Ron Roenicke noted that he may be available in a pinch hitting role later in the evening.
"The results were good as far as it won’t be long. He’s going to hit in the cage today and we’ll see if we can use him during the game and then he should be back in there," Roenicke said. "Yeah we did (dodge a bullet). You never want to see that Opening Day and all of a sudden you’re thinking, uh oh, already? So this isn’t too bad."
Braun couldn’t specify what part of his "side" he injured, but did say it was in his rib cage area, leading to soreness.
"It’s something between sore and tight, but not something that’s a significant injury," he said. "So from that perspective I feel very fortunate and encouraged by that."
Jim Owczarski is an award-winning sports journalist and comes to Milwaukee by way of the Chicago Sun-Times Media Network.
A three-year Wisconsin resident who has considered Milwaukee a second home for the better part of seven years, he brings to the market experience covering nearly all major and college sports.
To this point in his career, he has been awarded six national Associated Press Sports Editors awards for investigative reporting, feature writing, breaking news and projects. He is also a four-time nominee for the prestigious Peter J. Lisagor Awards for Exemplary Journalism, presented by the Chicago Headline Club, and is a two-time winner for Best Sports Story. He has also won numerous other Illinois Press Association, Illinois Associated Press and Northern Illinois Newspaper Association awards.
Jim's career started in earnest as a North Central College (Naperville, Ill.) senior in 2002 when he received a Richter Fellowship to cover the Chicago White Sox in spring training. He was hired by the Naperville Sun in 2003 and moved on to the Aurora Beacon News in 2007 before joining OnMilwaukee.com.
In that time, he has covered the events, news and personalities that make up the PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the National Hockey League, NCAA football, baseball and men's and women's basketball as well as boxing, mixed martial arts and various U.S. Olympic teams.
Golf aficionados who venture into Illinois have also read Jim in GOLF Chicago Magazine as well as the Chicago District Golfer and Illinois Golfer magazines.
