MILWAUKEE - Wade Miley didn't have the best spring for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He made up for it in his first regular-season start.
Miley was locked into a pitching duel with Kyle Lohse through six innings before the Diamondbacks spoiled Lohse's debut with Milwaukee by scoring two runs on a wild pitch off reliever Michael Gonzalez in the seventh for a 3-1 win over the Brewers on Friday night.
Lohse allowed five hits and struck out six. Miley gave up five hits and struck out eight, one shy of his career high, as the starters battled almost pitch for pitch.
Miley made four Cactus League starts and went 1-2 with a 7.43 ERA before the Diamondbacks took the cautious approach and shut him down.
"You just got to put that behind you and move on," Miley said. "I just wanted to go out, compete and give the team a chance to win."
Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson explained why the team was so careful with Miley.
"He wasn't progressing like we wanted him to when we shut him down," Gibson said. "He'd have time to come back. I thought he would be way sharper, and he was."
After the Diamondbacks and St. Louis Cardinals played 16 innings on Wednesday night, Gibson was glad that Miley went as long as he did.
"The guy got us through six innings," Gibson said. "He got behind one guy, Segura, and he hit a home run."
Lohse is coming off his best major league season, going 16-3 with a 2.86 ERA in 33 starts with the St. Louis Cardinals last year. He made one start in spring training after signing with the Brewers just before the end of March.
J.J. Putz pitched the ninth for his first save.
The Brewers were without Ryan Braun, who was scratched from the lineup because of spasms on the right side of his neck. He had started in left field in Milwaukee's first three games this season. He had a hit, scored a run and drove in at least one in each of them.
The Diamondbacks went ahead on a hit, three walks, a sacrifice bunt and Gonzalez's errant pitch.
Burke Badenhop (0-1) relieved Lohse to start the seventh. Paul Goldschmidt walked, advanced on Jason Kubel's single and moved to third on A.J. Pollock's sacrifice to chase Badenhop.
Gonzalez came in and walked Cliff Pennington. Alfredo Marte pinch hit for Miley and struck out. Goldschmidt and Kubel scored when Gonzalez threw a wild pitch that caromed off catcher Jonathan Lucroy's glove and rolled toward the Brewers' dugout. First baseman Yuniesky Betancourt was late backing up the play as Lucroy raced after the ball.
"Goldie took off. Nobody was really going for the ball," Kubel said. "So, I just kept going. Nobody was going for it. It was weird. Good thing for us it worked out."
Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said that Gonzalez and Lucroy made a mistake.
"We got crossed up a little bit there with the pitch getting by (Lucroy)," Roenicke said.
Braun took batting practice before he was pulled. Khris Davis made his major league debut in place of Braun.
"I felt it a little bit earlier while I was working out, and then I had the trainers work on it," Braun said. "Second round of BP, I took a swing and it just locked up."
Miley (1-0) cruised through the first three innings, including a span of five straight strikeouts before Jean Segura hit a solo homer, his career first, with one out in the bottom of the fourth. Rickie Weeks singled up the middle and went to third on Aramis Ramirez's single to left. He slid awkwardly into second trying to beat left fielder Kubel's strong throw. Ramirez, who was an easy out, sprained his left knee. He lay behind the bag in pain before walking off the field.
"We know more tomorrow," Ramirez said. "I'll get an MRI tomorrow. We go from there. I don't want to assume anything."
Ramirez wrenched his knee during spring training sliding into second.
"Same thing that happened in spring training," he said. "More soreness than the last time."
Lohse pitched three scoreless innings before the Diamondbacks went ahead 1-0 in the top of the fourth.
Martin Prado led off with a double, advanced on Miguel Montero's one-out grounder and scored on Goldschmidt's double.
Despite the loss, Lohse was pleased with his start.
"It felt like all my stuff was working pretty good from the first inning on," he said. "It was fun to get back out there and get my season started."
The Diamondbacks are off to a 3-1 start for the third time in franchise history.
NOTES: Lohse is without a decision in any of his five debut games. ... Brewers INF Alex Gonzalez moved to third after Ramirez left the game in the bottom of the fourth. Gonzalez played shortstop for 1,536 games coming into his 15th season. He moved to first for the first three games of this season. He had never played third in his career. ... The Diamondbacks are off to a 3-1 start for the third time in franchise history.
