Well, we needed that one.
Today’s game wasn’t the smoothest. Nonetheless, a win is a win.
Milwaukee broke a 0-0 tie in the bottom of the second to score their first run all series. Christian Yelich, who hadn’t had a hit all series, started off the frame by crushing a one-hop line drive to right fielder Trevor Larnach. Rhys Hoskins then singled, bringing up Isaac Collins in an obvious sacrifice bunt situation. Collins got the bunt down, and all of a sudden, the Brewers had runners on second and third with only one out.
That brought up Sal Frelick, who quickly got down 0-2. Minnesota starter Zebby Matthews went for the strikeout with a slider low and away, but Frelick did a great job of protecting the zone, bending down and slapping it into right field for the Brewers’ first lead since the Guardians series. Milwaukee still had runners at the corners and only one out, but the bottom of the Brewers’ order — Caleb Durbin and Joey Ortiz — couldn’t hit the ball out of the infield.
After a three-up, three-down top of the third from Brewers starter Freddy Peralta, the Crew kept things going in the bottom of the frame. Brice Turang and Jackson Chourio struck out to start the inning. Matthews then melted down, walking Contreras, Yelich, and Hoskins to load the bases for Collins. Collins singled to center on the first pitch, scoring Yelich and Contreras and bringing up Sal Frelick (again with runners in scoring position).
Frelick, who must have heard me point out that he’d been slumping recently, smacked a 3-1 fastball into right field for his second RBI knock of the game. Caleb Durbin then flew out to left fielder Harrison Bader, but the Brewers had broken the game open at 4-0.
In the top of the fourth, Royce Lewis hit a one-out solo shot off of Peralta to cut the lead to 4-1. Peralta struck out Harrison Bader on a ball in the dirt for the second out, but things started to unravel a bit from there. DaShawn Keirsey Jr. walked and, after a mound visit, promptly stole second. Christian Vasquez then reached on an error by Ortiz, advancing Keirsey to third.
Peralta didn’t have the smoothest outing today, allowing multiple runners to reach base in three of the first four innings, but he managed to bear down when it mattered. He walked Larnach, loading the bases, then got Ryan Jeffers to fly out to Frelick for the third out.
Peralta finished his day after five innings, allowing just the one earned run and striking out five.
Neither team scored again until the top of the seventh. Jared Koenig gave up a one-out double to Larnach. Koenig got Ryan Jeffers to fly out to Frelick, but Larnach tagged up and took third. Brooks Lee then singled on a line drive to Isaac Collins, cutting the lead back down to 4-2.
Milwaukee went three-up, three-down again in the bottom of the seventh. Pat Murphy brought in Nick Mears, who hadn’t allowed a hit in his last six appearances (dating back to May 3 against the Cubs). Naturally, Mears immediately gave up a double to Kody Clemens. Lewis then hit a hard line drive to deep centerfield, but Jackson Chourio made the play of the game:
This play serves as a reminder that Chourio can do things most baseball players can’t. He just turned 21 a couple of months ago and is still developing. Chourio is the type of player who can single-handedly save the game for you, like he did today.
Chourio’s been struggling at the plate recently and had a bad defensive miscue in Peralta’s last go-around. This has to be a confidence boost for him. Also, this photo is a work of art:
Clemens, in a poor display of baserunning, assumed that the ball was dropping and didn’t tag up. Mears then got Bader to fly out to Frelick on a ball that may have scored Clemens if he had been on third. Carson McCusker, making his major league debut, pinch-hit for Keirsey, but he grounded out to Mears to end the inning.
Rhys Hoskins added an insurance run on a sac fly in the bottom of the eighth to make it 5-2 Milwaukee. Closer Trevor Megill came in and shut the Twins down, striking out Larnach and Jeffers back-to-back for the save.
Overall, the issues that remained before today’s game still remain. The Brewers scored four of their five runs off Matthews (career 6.69 ERA), who has spent the entire year in Triple-A. Nobody on the Brewers had an extra-base hit today.
All of that matters way less if Milwaukee can find a way to win close games. Frelick, Collins, and Hoskins all came through in the clutch, while other Brewers pitched in with walks and bunts. Chourio (0-for-4) looked lost at the plate, but saved the game by robbing a game-tying home run. Milwaukee loaded the bases and scored three runs during a two-out rally.
Baseball is a game of momentum, and the Brewers are picking up steam. Milwaukee is a better team than they have shown over the last couple of games. The Brewers found a way to snap the Twins’ league-leading 13-game win streak even though the bats aren’t fully back to life. Even though this week has been about as rough as it’s gotten for the Brewers in recent years, to me, that’s an incredibly positive sign.
The Crew has a great chance to stay in the win column with an upcoming three-game home series against the struggling Baltimore Orioles, who have allowed 10-plus runs in both games since firing manager Brandon Hyde. Tomorrow’s series opener will be broadcast on FanDuel Sports Wisconsin and the Brewers Radio Network. First pitch is slated for 6:40 p.m. You can catch up on that series by reading Harrison’s series preview here.