Lyles joins Brewers rotation in Oakland

OAKLAND -- The Brewers are betting that Jordan Lyles is better than his recent results, and Lyles is hoping a change of scenery isn’t the only difference in his move back to Milwaukee.

“I’m looking forward to working with Yasmani [Grandal],” Lyles said after he was traded from the Pirates to the Brewers on Monday, referring to Milwaukee’s All-Star catcher. “I’ve been playing against him for almost the last decade now, and we’re going to be able to work together, finally.”

While Lyles was making his way to Oakland, where he's scheduled to start in Wednesday's 9:07 p.m. CT contest, Grandal was doing his homework. He said he scoured MLB.com footage of Lyles for a 2-3 hours on Monday’s off-day, then spent another 45 minutes on Lyles once he had access to the Brewers’ video system at the Oakland Coliseum on Tuesday afternoon.

“I’ve already gone through all his stuff. What works, what doesn’t,” Grandal said. “It’s a matter of now getting him to trust what I’m doing behind the plate or what Manny [Pina] is doing behind the plate. And then we can go from there. I don’t think that should take long.”

“He’s changed from when I first saw him in the big leagues until now. What I can remember from this year, completely different guy. I think he’s changed for the better. Hopefully we can keep developing that transition that he’s trying to make. I think he’s going to help us out a lot.”

Lyles has relied much more heavily this season on his two best pitches -- a four-seam fastball and curveball, throwing the fastball 50 percent of the time and the curveball 30 percent, according to Statcast. That’s up from 34.3 percent four-seam fastballs and 28.8 percent curveballs last year.

Those percentages have risen month by month this season, though Lyles’ results have declined. He had a 1.89 ERA after his first nine appearances for the Pirates this season, including eight starts, but was 1-6 with a 9.57 ERA in the nine starts after that.

“Look, he’s had some success this year,” Counsell said. “His last couple of starts have not been good. It’s not going to be a major overhaul, but any means, but there are a couple of things that we see. Other than that, it’s just going to be, ‘Go out and make pitches.’ We need guys right now.”

Said Grandal: “We need guys who can come in and compete. I think with what Manny and I are capable of doing behind the plate, it’s going to help him out.”

Gonzalez resumes throwing

Veteran left-hander Gio Gonzalez sounded optimistic Tuesday about making a start as scheduled during the Brewers’ upcoming three-game series against the Cubs. He left his last outing in the seventh inning with shoulder tightness.

Gonzalez played catch Tuesday afternoon in the first test of his shoulder. Barring a setback, the next step will be a bullpen session. If that goes well, the Brewers will make a decision about whether to slot him in Friday or Saturday in Chicago.

“That will set the course with some other things,” Counsell said. “The best-case scenario is just to avoid the injured list. When we start him, we have some flexibility.”

Last call

? Grandal was having fun with a recent trade rumor that suggested the Brewers would consider trading Grandal or Mike Moustakas to get pitching help before Wednesday’s 3 p.m. CT Trade Deadline. Both Grandal and Moustakas signed one-year contracts before the season.

“I’m still here, Murph,” Grandal called out to bench coach Pat Murphy as he walked by. “But you never know. We’ve still got a couple of hours. ‘Moose’ is still here, too. We’re a package deal.”

? This series is a matchup of mentor and pupil, with A’s manager Bob Melvin strategizing against Counsell. Melvin was Counsell’s manager in Arizona in 2005-06, and he credits Melvin for being the first coach or manager to pull back the curtain on what the job is like.

“I bounce things off him a lot. I do,” Counsell said. “I call him frequently to ask his opinion on things, because I feel he’s got a great compass, so to speak. It’s an answer that gives me guidance or confirms I’m in the right place. It’s helpful to have someone like that.”