Brewers pitcher Adrian Houser threw up on the mound (again) after error

The best barf pun came from the guest of honor, Adrian Houser, completely unintended.

When it was noted late Saturday night that his second vomiting episode on the mound in the majors would at least push aside the first incident from last season, the Milwaukee Brewers right-hander said, “Yeah, some more material came out.”

Ba-dum-dum. Try the veal. He’ll be here all week.

Houser knew the puking questions were coming after the Brewers hung on for a 3-2 victory over the Texas Rangers, their fifth triumph in a row. After striking out the first two hitters of the game, Houser booted a bouncer from Elvis Andrus for an error, then retreated to a grassy area behind the mound, crouched down and there it came.

When a member of the grounds crew comes out with a watering can and gargantuan shovel, you know something untoward has happened.

Asked how this could happen a second time, Houser laughed and said, “Honestly, I don’t know how to explain it. Probably sick with myself for not making that play.”

Somebody call America’s Got Talent. We’ve got a budding stand-up act here.

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#Brewers Adrian Houser knew the puke questions were coming but he pitched heck of a game tonight. pic.twitter.com/D1o1cpB93S

— Tom (@Haudricourt) August 11, 2019

Manager Craig Counsell also got into the Improv mood when asked for his take on Houser getting sick on the mound for the second consecutive season.

“I think it’s one of those things where he gets amped up at the start of the game,” Counsell said. “You know, you’ve got energy, you’ve got some nerves, you’ve got butterflies. And it all came out at once.”

Not to mention his pre-game snack.

Ok, enough with the sophomoric humor. What really deserved discussing was the way Houser dominated the Rangers for six innings. The American League visitors didn’t get a ball past an infielder until Danny Santana homered with one down in the sixth.

Houser struck out a career-high 10 hitters, allowing only three hits, one walk and the one run. The Brewers needed an outing like this to give a boost to their injury-riddled starting rotation. They rarely have won with run support this scant, going only 8-34 with three runs or fewer.

But Houser, 26, needed it for himself as well. He wants to be a starter in the big leagues but had pitched much better out of the bullpen (1.47 ERA in 17 outings) than in his previous eight starts (0-5, 6.82) this season.

“He pitched a wonderful game,” Counsell said. “I was really proud of how he handled the left-handed hitters. That’s what got him in the Cubs game (in his previous start). He went through them really well. That was impressive.

“The six innings, without (closer) Josh (Hader available) tonight, really lined up the game for us well.”

#Brewers Keston Hiura talks about contributions of Adrian Houser and Trent Grisham tonight. pic.twitter.com/EkcrIlTUJM

— Tom (@Haudricourt) August 11, 2019

In recording his first victory as a starter in the majors, Houser pounded the strike zone and did his best to protect a 3-0 lead built over the first four innings by his teammates.

“The guys made some great plays behind me,” Houser said. “It feels really good. My main goal was to go as long as I could and try to give the bullpen a break. They’ve been really working hard the last couple of weeks. I think tonight was a good step in the right direction.

“(Starting) is something I’ve always done, and I feel it’s where I belong. Like I’ve always said, I’m in the big leagues, so (relief is) where I’ll pitch if that’s where they see me. But I feel like I belong (as a starter).

“The ups and downs are part of it, part of baseball. Once you put it all together and you start getting results, it’s really nice.”

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