The Brewers have found a gem in Quinn Priester. After a rough start against the Twins last Sunday, he bounced back for his best start as a Brewer. He pitched seven shutout innings and struck out 11 as the Brewers won 5-0 on Saturday afternoon.
After Priester started the day by retiring the side in the first, the Brewers’ offense gave him immediate run support. Back-to-back one-out singles by Jackson Chourio and Christian Yelich gave the Brewers their first two baserunners. William Contreras followed that up with a walk to load the bases.
Brice Turang was up next, riding an 11-game hitting streak. That would be extended to 12 games right away. Turang hit a ground ball to second baseman Thairo Estrada, who had to dive to get to the ball. His only chance was an awkward throw to get Contreras at second, but it was not close, and everyone was safe. Chourio scored, and the Brewers had a 1-0 lead.
Next up was Rhys Hoskins, and he almost blew the game wide open. He hit a slider 391 feet into the left-center corner of the outfield. Unfortunately, it just missed leaving the park, and Brenton Doyle tracked it down. It was deep enough to score Yelich, increasing the lead to 2-0. Jake Bauers finished the inning by popping out to Estrada.
Priester kept rolling through the second, striking out two more in the process. He didn’t allow his first baserunner until the third inning as he walked Ryan Ritter, but stranded him at first. The Brewers had a chance to add on in the third after Turang hit a ground-rule double and Hoskins was hit by a pitch, but Bauers lined out to end the inning.
The fourth inning started with Priester making a great catch. Jordan Beck tried to catch the Brewers off guard by bunting for a hit, but he popped the ball up. Priester ran off the mound and dove for the ball. It popped out of his glove, but he caught it in the air with his bare hand for the out.
That didn’t affect Priester at all. He recorded another strikeout as he had his third 1-2-3 inning of the day after that play.
As for the Brewers’ offense, they gave him more run support in the bottom of the inning. A leadoff single by Caleb Durbin set up Joey Ortiz, who hit his third home run of the homestand — and fifth overall. That boosted the lead to 4-0.
The fifth inning was Priester’s only rough inning of the day, but it wasn’t all self-inflicted. He began the inning by getting Doyle to fly out, but Michael Toglia followed that up with a single to right — the only hit Priester allowed in the game. After striking out Braxton Fulford, the inning should have ended with a strikeout of Sam Hillard. However, the third strike was spiked in the dirt and got away from Contreras, allowing Hillard to reach. It was charged as a wild pitch to Priester, but it was a ball that Contreras should have blocked. That gave the Rockies their only scoring chance of the day, but a strikeout of Ryan Ritter ended the inning. Priester had three strikeouts in an inning that he needed four outs to finish.
To make up for his miscue in the fifth, Contreras led off the bottom of the inning with a double to left. Turang followed that up with his second double and third hit of the day, extending the lead to 5-0.
A walk by Jake Bauers drove Rockies’ starter Antonio Senzatela from the game. Durbin singled off of reliever Angel Chivilli to load the bases, but Joey Ortiz grounded into an easy double play to end the inning.
Priester allowed his second walk of the day to start the sixth. Beck followed that up with a ground ball up the middle, but Ortiz made a great charge and throw to get Beck at first. Priester finished up that inning with two more strikeouts to keep on rolling. Meanwhile, Chourio hit a one-out single in the bottom of the inning, but that was all the Brewers could manage.
The seventh featured another great throw by Ortiz. On a ground ball from Doyle hit towards third, Ortiz made an off-balance throw to first to get Doyle. The Rockies went quietly for the rest of the inning, with Fulford striking out for Priester’s 11th strikeout of the day.
It was easily Priester’s best start as a Brewer. He pitched seven innings and allowed no runs on 95 pitches. He allowed a total of four baserunners — one hit, two walks, and a wild pitch third strikeout. His 11 strikeouts were a career high for him. Here’s a look at those strikeouts.
Aaron Ashby and DL Hall finished off the day for Priester. In the eighth, Ashby ended up walking two batters, but a double play was sandwiched between the walks to keep the Rockies in check. Hall took the ninth and had no trouble, retiring the side to end the game.
Turang remained hot with a 3-for-4 day at the plate, driving in two of the Brewers’ four runs. Ortiz brought in two more with his home run in the fourth inning. Chourio and Durbin also had two-hit days. Yelich and Contreras added a hit each, and Frelick and Bauers went hitless but each drew a walk. The only Brewer to not reach base was Hoskins, but he also contributed with a deep sacrifice fly in the first.
The Brewers have a chance to sweep the Rockies and finish this homestand with a 5-1 record tomorrow afternoon. Chad Patrick will face Germán Márquez to finish the series. First pitch is set for 1:10 p.m. CT and it will be on FanDuel Sports Wisconsin and the Brewers Radio Network.