Disciples of Uecker

After just 2/3 of an inning and a hand injury that cost him further reps, Kelvim Escobar’s latest comeback attempt has flamed out.

The Brewers released the right-hander Sunday, a week after he was forced out of his only spring appearance with a pinched nerve. He started that appearance well, striking out the first batter he faced looking, but everything fell apart soon after — the outing ended walk-popout-wild pitch-walk-hit batter. Escobar had a bullpen session Friday and said he felt fine, but still hadn’t appeared in a game since the injury, even with all the pitchers out of Brewers camp at the World Baseball Classic.

The race for bullpen spots intensified while Escobar was out, with the likes of Johnny Hellweg and Michael Olmsted impressing. With camp cutdowns coming, Escobar just missed too much time to prove he still had something left.

Escobar sent out a tweet in Spanish after the release was announced, saying he’ll continue to fight in his comeback attempt:

Malas noticias, el equipo d Los @brewers me dejo Libre , pero sigo en la lucha, No m voy a rendir, m costo mucho llegar a este punto

— kelvim escobar (@kelvimescobar) March 10, 2013

Escobar hasn’t pitched in a major league game since 2009, when he made one five-inning start. His last true season was 2007. He turns 37 in April.