Luis Urías gets start at third base in place of Eduardo Escobar for Brewers in Game 3 of NLDS
Tom HaudricourtATLANTA – Infielder Eduardo Escobar, acquired in late July in a trade with Arizona designed to provide a boost to the Milwaukee Brewers’ offense, was not in the starting lineup Monday for Game 3 of the National League Division Series against the Atlanta Braves.
Manager Craig Counsell went with Luis Urías, a right-handed hitter, at third base instead of the switch-hitting Escobar against Atlanta right-hander Ian Anderson.
“I think it's a little bit of everything in there,” Counsell said in explaining the switch. “A little pitcher matchup in there. Urías' defense – just his range has shown to be excellent. And there's a little pitcher matchup and good at-bats from Luis.”
In particular, Escobar had been struggling more from the left side of the plate. For the season, he batted .238 against right-handed pitchers with a .752 OPS. Batting against lefties, he hit .295 with an .873 OPS.
Those splits were even more pronounced since joining the Brewers in the July 28 trade for minor-leaguers Cooper Hummel and Alberto Ciprian. Escobar batted .240 from the left side in 138 plate appearances with a .754 OPS, compared to .328 right-handed with a .895 OPS.
Urías was more even with his batting splits for the season. He hit .251 against righties with a .786 OPS and .243 with an .800 OPS against lefties. Urías was 2 for 4 in the first two games of the NLDS, while Escobar was 1 for 7 with four strikeouts.
Urías became the biggest offensive surprise on the Brewers’ roster, particularly when you consider he was supplanted as the starting shortstop with the acquisition of Willy Adames from Tampa Bay on May 21. Urías began getting regular at-bats at third base after Travis Shaw dislocated a shoulder and produced to the point that Counsell made sure he got regular playing time, even after Escobar joined the club.
The biggest breakthrough for Urías came in run production, with 23 home runs and 75 RBI, both ranking second to club leader Avisaíl García (29 and 86). He batted .249 with a .789 OPS over 150 games.
“Luis had just an excellent season,” Counsell said. “Offensively, what he's done, as a young player in the big leagues, his offensive season, it's really exciting. I think it's exciting for us moving forward as to what he can be as an offensive player.
“And I think, look, he's had some challenges defensively this year. He's also played brilliantly defensively this year. And so that's part of the growth of being a young player. Frankly, offensively he's been a very consistent player. And he's really just getting better. He's gotten better in the second half of the season.
“So, I think Luis has had a really good season. He should be proud of what he's done, how he's improved, the adjustments he's made to Major League Baseball and be excited about what's to come.”
In four trips to the plate in the Brewers' 3-0 loss, Urias went 0 for 3 and was hit by a pitch. Escobar entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the seventh and doubled, then stayed in and struck out in the ninth, both times batting right-handed.