Brewers 4, Braves 2: After seven quiet innings, Brewers flip game with three in the eighth
ATLANTA – Needing something to get headed in the right direction, the Milwaukee Brewers finally did some things right in the eighth inning Saturday night.
And not a moment too soon.
What had been a very quiet offense awoke to push across three runs in that eighth inning, a rally that allowed the sagging Brewers to pull out a much-needed 4-2 victory over Atlanta at SunTrust Park.
The Brewers had dropped four of five games, including a 10-1 rout by the Braves on Friday, before turning this game around late. They had only two singles for the night and none since the third inning when they caught some breaks against Atlanta’s bullpen in the eighth.
BOX SCORE: Brewers 4, Braves 2
ANALYSIS:Catch of the season was followed by hit of the season
NOTES:Brewers have been big losers in day games in 2018
HAUDRICOURT:In wild-card game, who would be Brewers' starter?
MLB:Live scoreboard, box scores, standings, statistics
Christian Yelich reached on a grounder to first when reliever Jesse Biddle couldn’t handle the flip from Freddie Freeman, and Lorenzo Cain followed with a single up the middle.
Mike Moustakas then delivered the biggest hit of the night for the Brewers, slicing a double to left that scored both runners to erase Atlanta’s 2-1 lead. Erik Kratz later added a run-scoring infield hit off Dan Winkler to put the Brewers on top, 4-2.
Reliever Josh Hader took it from there, covering the final two innings without allowing a base runner to record his ninth save. The Braves had not struck out all night until Hader whiffed three hitters.
The Brewers jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning against Atlanta starter Julio Teheran after he walked leadoff hitter Yelich. Cain grounded into a force at second but stole his 21st base and scored on Ryan Braun’s two-out single to center.
It didn’t take the Braves long to get that run back. Leading off the bottom of the inning, Ronald Acuña lined a 3-1 cutter from Wade Miley out to left for a home run and 1-1 tie.
Atlanta put more pressure on Miley when Ozzie Albies singled, moved up on a wild pitch, and Freddie Freeman drew a walk. But hot-hitting Nick Markakis flied out to shallow center and Johan Camargo grounded into a double play and Miley escaped further damage.
Teheran was fortunate to get out of the third inning without a run scoring. Miley led off with a single and Yelich hit a laser beam right at Acuña in deep center. After Cain popped out, Moustakas walked and Braun was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Travis Shaw followed with a liner right at Freeman at first for the third out.
The Brewers, and first baseman Eric Thames, were not as successful in snaring liners in the bottom of the fourth. Freeman led off with a shot that tipped off the glove of the leaping Thames and carried into right field for a double.
Markakis followed with a liner to Thames’ right that also caromed off his glove and into right for an RBI single that gave Atlanta a 2-1 lead. That would be the last run allowed in six innings of work by Miley, who allowed six hits and recorded no strikeouts.
Meanwhile, the Brewers were getting absolutely nothing going against Teheran. Miley’s leadoff hit in the third was the second and final hit they managed off the Braves starter before he departed after six innings.
FIVE TAKEAWAYS
AGUILAR’S TWO-STRIKE APPROACH: Jesús Aguilar’s two-strike approach has been well documented and he came through again Friday night with his 51st RBI of the season with two strikes, establishing a club record with seven weeks remaining in the season. Prince Fielder knocked in 50 of his club-record 141 RBI with two strikes in 2009. “I think what ‘Aggie’ does is he becomes a ‘real’ hitter with two strikes,” manager Craig Counsell said. “It’s not that he’s playing defense but that’s what you do sometimes with two strikes. He’s such a strong man that he can sacrifice a little with two strikes and still hit home runs. It’s skillful and it’s intentional.”
YELICH AN OUTFIELDER ONLY: The Brewers have blurred the lines a bit about who is an outfielder and who is an infielder – and what infield position they play – with the depth they’ve created on their roster, particularly with the trades for Moustakas and Jonathan Schoop. But Counsell said Yelich has made it clear he is an outfielder only. “You can’t do it with everybody,” Counsell said. “Christian Yelich has stated he will not play the infield. And he’s right. He put his foot down. I did allow that. He is not an infielder. That’s the way it is.”
CRAZY TIMBER RATTLERS FINISH: Have you ever seen a three-run, walk-off strikeout? No? Well, the Brewers' Class A Wisconsin affiliate had one Friday in an incredible 7-6 victory over Burlington. Down, 6-2, entering the bottom of the ninth, the Timber Rattlers had two runs in, the bases loaded and two outs when Nic Pierre struck out on a wild pitch from James Ziemba. Catcher Keinner Pina retrieved the ball and tried to retire Pierre at first base but threw wildly into foul territory down the right-field line. All three runners – Payton Henry, Kenny Corey and Gabriel Garcia – came around to score, with Garcia sliding head-first across the plate with the winning run. “Has that ever happened before?” Brewers coach Ed Sedar asked. “That’s crazy.”
BRAUN BATS CLEANUP: Braun batted in the cleanup spot for only the eighth time this season and it wasn’t because of previous success against Teheran (2 for 12). Counsell wanted to split up the left-handed bats of Moustakas and Shaw to give the lineup balance.
BRAUN SAVES A RUN: Braun saved reliever Corbin Burnes a run in the seventh inning with a great diving catch in the corner of a drive from pinch-hitter Ender Inciarte for the third out. Dansby Swanson was on second base and would have jogged home if not for that gem.
RECORD
This year: 67-53
Last year: 61-59
COMING UP
Sunday: Brewers at Braves, 12:35 p.m. Milwaukee RHP Chase Anderson (7-7, 3.81) vs. Atlanta LHP Sean Newcomb (10-5, 3.15). TV: FS Wisconsin. Radio: AM-620.