Varland retired just two batters and was charged with nine earned runs on six hits and three walks while striking out one in Monday's 18-1 loss to the Cardinals.
The rookie right-hander maintained a tidy 2.25 ERA through his first seven big-league relief appearances, but a 0.0 K-BB% and a 5.93 FIP suggested that Varland's run prevention was due for a correction. Regression hit Varland in a major way Monday, as he allowed nine of the 11 batters he faced to reach base and surrendered a pair of home runs while placing only 18 of his 33 pitches for strikes. Though this sort of outing would normally put an unestablished player like Varland at risk of a demotion to the minors, his status as a Rule 5 pick means he'll have to remain on the Brewers' active roster all season when healthy.