Brewers right-hander Brandon Woodruff exited in the fourth inning of Milwaukee’s 4-3 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday in Phoenix after his velocity noticeably plummeted.

After averaging 91 and 83 mph with his fastball and changeup, respectively, in the first inning, Woodruff averaged 86.6 mph with his fastball and 76.6 mph with his changeup in the fourth inning.

He exited after a visit from Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy, athletic trainer Brad Epstein and pitching coach Chris Hook. The start was his third back from the injured list after he sustained a right shoulder inflammation which previously caused his velocity to dip in a start against Arizona on April 30.

Woodruff, 33, missed the entire 2024 season after undergoing right shoulder surgery to repair his anterior capsule.

The Brewers haven’t shared an update on exactly what led to Woodruff’s departure after he allowed three runs on two hits over 3 2/3 innings with six strikeouts and one walk. He took the loss to fall to 2-2 with a 2.98 ERA.

The two-time All-Star (2019, 2021) entered the day with a career 55-29 record and 3.08 ERA over 150 appearances (135 starts) across nine seasons for the Brewers.

–Field Level Media

JJ Wetherholt hit a home run and reached base four times as the visiting St. Louis Cardinals beat the Chicago Cubs 3-0 on Saturday.

The rookie homered in the first, walked in the third, doubled in the fifth and singled in the seventh as the Cardinals picked up their fifth win in six games. St. Louis goes for the sweep Sunday.

Cardinals starter Kyle Leahy (7-4) gave up three hits in five shutout innings. The right-hander walked two and struck out six in 77 pitches.

Riley O’Brien picked up his 22nd save with a scoreless ninth.

Cubs starter Shota Imanaga (5-7) gave up four hits and two runs in four 2/3 innings. The southpaw walked three and had eight strikeouts over 86 pitches.

The game was delayed an hour at the start because of rain. In the fifth inning, fog rolled into Wrigley Field and by the sixth inning players were complaining they could not see the ball.

The game was delayed 15 minutes while the fog lifted.

Wetherholt wasted little time putting the Cardinals out in front as he drove the first pitch of the game over the left-field fence.

St. Louis scored again in the third when Nathan Church and Wetherholt walked to lead off the inning. Ivan Herrera gave the Cardinals a two-run lead by singling in Church.

The Cubs had chances to score in the third and fifth innings, but struggling Alex Bregman failed to deliver in both innings.

Michael Conforto singled to lead off the third and went to second when Pete Crow-Armstrong walked with two outs. Bregman, however, grounded into a fielder’s choice at third to end the threat.

Conforto also led off the fifth with a single and went to second when Crow-Armstrong was hit by a pitch with two outs. Bregman popped out to first base to keep the Cubs scoreless.

The Cubs were 0-for-15 with men on base. After scoring 35 runs in a three-game sweep of the Padres, the Cubs have scored just once in two games against St. Louis.

The Cardinals added an insurance run in the eighth when Jordan Walker led off with a double and Alec Burleson singled him in.

–Field Level Media

Sonny Gray allowed a run and four hits in six innings and Willson Contreras and Romy Gonzalez hit home runs as the Boston Red Sox routed the Los Angeles Angels 8-1 on Saturday night in Anaheim, Calif.

Wilyer Abreu added two RBIs and scored two runs for the Red Sox, who have won the first two games of the series.

Josh Lowe homered for the Angels, who lost their fifth in a row.

Gray (10-1, 2.61 ERA) walked two and struck out seven. Neither he nor Contreras (19 HR, 56 RBI, .285 batting average, .914 OPS) were among the All-Star Game participants announced earlier in the day.

Los Angeles starter Sam Aldegheri (3-4) gave up three runs and one hit in four innings with four walks and two strikeouts.

Contreras’ three-run homer in the first inning gave Boston a 3-0 lead.

He belted Aldegheri’s 2-1 changeup an estimated 421 feet into the left field stands. Anthony Seigler and Abreu, who had both walked, scored ahead of Contreras.

Lowe’s solo homer in the second put the Angels on the board and made it 3-1. He drove Gray’s first-pitch cutter high over the center field fence an estimated 437 feet. It was Lowe’s seventh homer of the season.

Los Angeles had runners on first and second with one out later in the inning, but Gray struck out Donovan Walton and Tyler Heineman.

Boston put the game out of reach with four runs in the fifth for a 7-1 lead. Abreu hit a two-run double and Gonzalez lofted a two-run homer just inside the foul pole in left for his first home run.

All four runs came off of reliever Samy Natera Jr.

Ceddanne Rafaela doubled in a run in the eighth for the final margin.

Relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman and starter Ranger Suarez were selected for the All-Star Game for Boston and Los Angeles outfielder Mike Trout, who is on the injured list with a hamstring injury, was picked as a starter for the game in Philadelphia on July 14.

–Field Level Media