let’s try that again

Major league debut, Take 2, is on tap tonight for Brandon Woodruff, the former Mississippi State standout whose first scheduled start in June was aborted because of an injury he suffered in warm-ups. The big right-hander is now slated to get the ball tonight for Milwaukee against Tampa Bay at Tropicana Field. If he makes it to the post, he’ll become the 27th Mississippian (native or college alum) to play in the majors in 2017. Woodruff, one the Brewers’ top prospects, was 6-5 with a 4.46 ERA at Triple-A Colorado Springs, which plays in a hitter’s park in a hitter’s league (the Pacific Coast League). Woodruff, described in one scouting report as a “hard-throwing wild man” at State, has 70 strikeouts and 24 walks in 72 2/3 innings this season. The first batter Woodruff will face might just be fellow Mississippi native Corey Dickerson, Tampa Bay’s All-Star outfielder and leadoff batter of late. Dickerson, a McComb native and Meridian Community College product, is on a 9-for-22 roll, breaking out of a protracted slump. He is hitting .304 with 21 home runs and 50 RBIs. P.S. State alum Kendall Graveman came off the disabled list to start for Oakland on Thursday and was shelled by San Francisco, giving up seven runs in two innings. It was his first MLB appearance since May. “I threw a lot of strikes, but I don’t think the movement was quite there,” he told the Mercury News of San Jose. … Chris Stratton, another ex-Bulldog, is back on the Giants’ roster to replace Matt Cain in the rotation for a team that is having an awful season. Stratton will make his second MLB start on Saturday against Arizona.