NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Brunswick native Mark Rogers wasn’t especially sharp in his first outing of the season today, but he showed composure to get out of a third-inning jam with little damage and that he’s still got his lively fastball in a short appearance with the Nashville Sounds.

The 26-year-old from Orrs Island and a former standout at Mt. Ararat High went three innings in his start for the Brewers’ Triple-A club against the visiting Oklahoma City RedHawks. He gave up two earned runs and three hits, including a solo home run to right field in the second inning to Justin Ruggiano. Oklahoma City won the game 7-5.

Additional Photos

Mark Rogers winds up to pitch in today's game. He threw 69 pitches, including 35 for strikes, and got his fastball into the mid-90s. Photo by Mike Strasinger

Rogers threw 69 pitches, including 35 for strikes, and got his fastball into the mid-90s. He struck out three batters and walked two.

When things got dicey in the third, the right-hander bounced back from allowing a runner to score on a two-out, wild pitch in the dirt that brought in the RedHawks’ second run and induced a flyout in Ruggiano’s second at-bat to strand runners on first and third base.

Reliever Seth McClung, a former big-leaguer, entered the game to start the fourth inning for the Sounds.

Rogers, a former first-round pick who earned a brief call-up to Milwaukee in 2010, was the Brewers’ No. 1 prospect entering last season but battled carpal tunnel issues and had surgery this off-season. Early this season, he was serving the final eight games of a 25-game suspension from last year for testing positive for a banned stimulant. Rogers had been scheduled to start on Tuesday night, but that game was rained out.

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