The Toledo pitcher was lights out in his latest start and continues to showcase his MLB potential
The Toledo Mud Hens came up short in a 4-2 loss to the Iowa Cubs in the series finale at Fifth Third Field on Sunday, but pitcher Beau Brieske impressed on the mound and continued to show that he has potential to find success in the MLB.
“I was just trying to get the team off to a good start,” Brieske told me in a postgame interview. “I just wanted to go out and attack. I felt good out there and unfortunately we didn’t get the result we wanted but it was a hard-fought game.”
Brieske made his third start of the season for the Mud Hens after the expected starting pitcher Andrew Sears was called up by the Detroit Tigers on Sunday. Despite being named the starter on short notice, Brieske was sharp to say the least.
The Toledo pitcher opened the game with a strikeout and finished with four strikeouts in two scoreless innings pitched. Now that he’s a full-time relief pitcher, Brieske knew that he would only pitch for a few innings but he was still lights out.
“I used to be a starter so I know what it’s like to start,” Brieske said. “Starting a bullpen game is a bit different because you don’t want to change your entire routine up. So I just did my daily prep and went out there to throw the first pitch.”
Brieske has been a part of the Tigers’ organization for years after being drafted by Detroit in the 2019 MLB Draft and going onto carve out a consistent role in 2023 and 2024 — recording 100 strikeouts to go with a 3.60 ERA in 71 games.
Now, Brieske is looking to elevate his performance in Toledo and eventually earn another promotion to Detroit.
“It’s a different level and there are different challenges, but at the end of the day, it’s just pitching,” Brieske explained. “I just know that if I go out there and execute my game plan and make my pitches, I believe that I can get anyone out.”
Even though the Mud Hens eventually fell short, Brieske’s solid pitching performance provided a silver lining to the loss. Brieske will attempt to keep the momentum going forward as he looks to finish the regular season on a positive note.
“My goal here has been to continue to work on my craft,” Brieske told me following the game. “Just never get too high or too low because I know that it’s a process. I just have to go out there and attack, and that’s really all I can control.”
