Dodgers 6, Brewers 4: Same old story to open the second half

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The all-star break did little to help the Milwaukee Brewers stop their freefall.

Done in by another suspect performance from the bullpen and yet another quiet night by their offense, the Brewers saw their losing streak grow to a season-high seven games as they fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers, 6-4, on Friday at Miller Park.

Taylor Williams surrendered the lead by allowing a pair of runs in the seventh inning and Brandon Woodruff allowed a three-run home run in the ninth as Milwaukee dropped its seventh straight game – the first time it's lost that many in a row since dropping eight straight from Sept. 11-19, 2015.

A 1-1 game turned south in a hurry in the seventh when Williams (0-3) replaced starter Wade Miley.

BOX SCORE:Dodgers 6, Brewers 4

ANALYSIS:Brewers offense remains stuck in neutral

HAUDRICOURT:Brewers face daunting task in overcoming four terrible days

MLB:Live scoreboard, box scores, standings, statistics

The right-hander was greeted by five consecutive Dodger hits, with a Chris Taylor single scoring the go-ahead run and a Max Muncy double providing an insurance run.

Jesús Aguilar pulled the Brewers to within a run in the eighth with a one-out, solo home run to left off Daniel Hudson. It was his 25th of the season, putting him back into the lead in the National League after Colorado's Nolan Arenado pulled even earlier in the night.

With two outs, Tyler Saladino reached on a bunt single to put the tying runner aboard. But Hernán Pérez popped out to second base, with the lower portion of the lineup once again coming up short.

Kiké Hernández then put the game out of reach in the ninth with a three-run homer to center off Woodruff.

The Brewers did make things interesting in the ninth, with Christian Yelich's two-out triple to right off Los Angeles closer Kenley Jansen making it 6-4.

But Aguilar struck out on four pitches, leaving Milwaukee to try and snap its losing streak Saturday against Clayton Kershaw.

The Brewers didn't have many opportunities against the veteran lefty Rich Hill in the early going, striking out seven times in the first four innings.

The Dodgers, meanwhile, managed multiple baserunners in two of the first three innings against Miley. They cashed in one for the game's first run in the third, when a passed ball credited to Manny Piña allowed Taylor to scamper home from third.

Milwaukee mounted what looked to be its first serious rally in the fifth when Piña led off with a single and Keon Broxton walked to bring up Miley, who then slashed a single to center through a drawn-in infield.

Third-base coach Ed Sedar held Piña coming around third, however, and Broxton eventually was tagged out by the centerfielder Hernández after he rounded second base assuming Piña was going to continue on and score.

After Lorenzo Cain struck out for the second out, Yelich roped a double into the right-field corner. It scored a run but this time Sedar waved Miley around third and he was out at home on a bang-bang play, leaving the game tied at 1-1 with Aguilar on deck.

Miley pitched six innings, matching his season high, and allowed four hits and two walks to go along with two strikeouts.

FIVE TAKEAWAYS

WELCOME BACK: The Brewers announced the signing of outfielder Rymer Liriano to a minor-league contract. It's the second tour of duty in the organization for the 27-year-old, who was assigned to Class AAA Colorado Springs. Liriano was originally with the Brewers in 2016 but was hit in the face by a pitch in spring training and didn't appear in another game with them. He eventually made his way back to the major leagues with the Chicago White Sox last year, and was in Triple-A with the Angels this season prior to rejoining Milwaukee.

MACHADO MANIA: Shortstop Manny Machado made his Dodgers debut one to remember by reaching base in each of his first plate appearances with a pair of singles and a pair of walks. He started at shortstop and batted second.

NOTES:Manny Machado makes his Miller Park debut – with the Dodgers

I’m going to bring what I bring to the field every day," Machado said before the game. "I’m not going to try to overdo it or do too much or try to carry the team; this ballclub is already good enough without me. I’m just going to go out there and be me, bring what I can bring to try and help win games."

WINNING THE WEST: The Brewers entered the night with an 11-2 record against teams from the NL West. They were 5-1 against the Arizona Diamondbacks, 3-1 against the Colorado Rockies and 3-0 against the San Diego Padres.

MILEY'S MILESTONE: Miley made his fourth start of the season and the 200th of his major-league career. He entered the game 67-75 with a 4.36 earned run average for his career, which has been spent with five different major-league teams.

MORE MILEY: He showed he can field his position well with a couple of nice defensive plays, starting an unusual 1-3-4 double play to get out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the third and then dragging his foot across the bag just ahead of Muncy while covering first against the shift to end the Dodgers' fifth.

RECORD

This year: 55-44

Last year: 52-47

ATTENDANCE

Friday: 36,812

This year: 1,697,148 (34,636 avg.)

Last year: 1,414,029 (28,858 avg.)

COMING UP

Saturday: Brewers vs. Dodgers, 6:10 p.m. Milwaukee RHP Chase Anderson (6-7, 3.78) vs. Los Angeles LHP Clayton Kershaw (3-4, 2.74). TV: FS Wisconsin. Radio: AM-620.