The Brewers had another great offensive night in Milwaukee on Tuesday night, though this one never truly felt comfortable as the Arizona Diamondbacks made it interesting late in what ultimately became a 9-8 walk-off win for the Crew.
Jacob Misiorowski started on the mound, coming off two shaky starts since his return from the injured list. He didn’t look shaky at all early in this one, as he picked up a pair of strikeouts in a 1-2-3 first inning.
The Brewers quickly gave him a lead in the bottom of the frame, as William Contreras hit a one-out double before Christian Yelich moved him to third with a single. With runners on the corners and one out, Andrew Vaughn hit one plenty deep out to left to score Contreras and give Milwaukee the 1-0 advantage. Sal Frelick followed with a single of his own, and an error on a behind-the-back flip from D-back’s pitcher Brandon Pfaadt moved Yelich to third, but Isaac Collins went down on strikes to end the threat.
Misiorowski had a nearly identical second inning, setting Arizona down in order with another pair of strikeouts. Pfaadt then picked up his own 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the inning, and Misiorowski continued to look strong in the third with two more strikeouts after a one-out walk to Blaze Alexander.
The Brewers, who scored five runs in the third inning to break things open Monday night, did basically the exact same thing in Tuesday’s third inning. Brice Turang walked to start things, and Contreras followed by working the count full after falling behind 0-2. He then took advantage of a hanging sweeper from Pfaadt, smashing it 441 feet to left field.
Yelich followed with another single before Vaughn struck out for the first out. Frelick followed with his own single, and Collins then grounded into a forceout to put runners at the corners with two outs. After Collins stole second base, Anthony Seigler hit a double off the glove of Jake McCarthy in left to score both runs. It was Seigler’s first career extra-base hit, and it gave Milwaukee a 5-0 lead in the third.
Perkins singled Seigler in to make it 6-0, and that marked the end for Pfaadt, who went just 2 2/3 innings with six runs allowed (all earned). Andruw Monasterio struck out against Jake Woodford, but the damage was done.
In yet another parallel with Monday night, however, the D-backs had an answer to Milwaukee’s big inning. After Miz cruised through the first three frames, he gave up a softly hit single to Ketel Marte before recording the first two outs on a strikeout and flyout. Pavin Smith followed with a ground-rule double, though, and catcher Gabriel Moreno then crushed a 1-0 slider over the plate into the Brewers’ bullpen to cut the lead in half at 6-3.
Neither team was able to add the rest of the fourth or fifth innings, as Misiorowski was ultimately pulled after five innings. After a couple of rough outings for Miz, he bounced back in this one. While he allowed three runs, they came on one swing of the bat from Moreno. He threw a career-high 93 pitches, recording 10 strikeouts while allowing four hits and a walk.
With the score at 6-3 in the sixth, Tobias Myers took over and worked a scoreless frame, allowing a two-out double to Smith but nothing else. The Brewers gave the bullpen a bit of insurance in the bottom of the inning, as Monasterio hit a double before Turang welcomed new pitcher John Curtiss with a two-run homer to put the Crew up 8-3.
The D-backs, who haven’t had any problems offensively this season — they rank fifth in runs and homers in MLB — weren’t done just yet, though.
Myers allowed three singles while recording just one out to begin the seventh, as the lead was down to 8-4 with runners at the corners. He then got Marte to fly out for a sac fly to make it 8-5, and that was all for him. Jared Koenig replaced him to face Corbin Carroll, who swung at the first pitch and lined it into the left field corner. Collins, running toward the line, probably should have made the catch, but it instead caromed off his glove as he seemingly got distracted by the quickly approaching wall. Carroll settled in at second with an RBI double, and suddenly it was 8-6 with the tying run at the plate.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr., who hit a three-run homer in Monday’s game, wasn’t able to repeat that moment tonight, as he lined out to Frelick in left with the lead still at two for the Brewers.
That wouldn’t hold another inning, however, as the D-backs mounted yet another rally in the eighth. Koenig returned to pitch the inning, and Arizona manager Torey Lovullo threw every right-handed hitter he had at him. James McCann, batting for Smith, started things with a double before Moreno singled to put runners at the corners. Ildemaro Vargas, pinch-hitting for McCarthy, hit another single to cut the score to 8-7 and put runners at first and second with no outs.
Pat Murphy stuck with Koenig, and it looked the right choice for at least a moment as he struck out both Alexander and Alek Thomas to record the first two outs. With the switch-hitting Geraldo Perdomo stepping to the plate, Murphy continued to give Koenig the benefit of the doubt even with the righty Shelby Miller ready in the bullpen. Perdomo — hitting .340 against lefties compared to .268 with righties — made him pay for that decision, as he slapped an 0-2 curveball into center for a game-tying double. The 6-0 lead and 8-3 lead were suddenly no more.
Murphy finally replaced Koenig with Miller, who promptly struck out Marte on three pitches to escape the jam with the game tied.
After a quick 1-2-3 bottom of the eighth, Carroll picked up right where Arizona left off to begin the ninth, hitting a single to right that resulted in him standing at second after Frelick uncharacteristically misplayed it to allow him to advance. Miller then got a pop-up from Gurriel before Monasterio made a great ranging play (video below) to record the second out and hold Carroll at third with two outs.
After Moreno was intentionally walked to put runners at the corners, Tyler Locklear pinch-hit as it was now the pitcher’s spot in the batting order (Lovullo interestingly pulled Gurriel from the DH spot to become the first baseman, thanks to all of the pinch-hitters he used in that eighth). Locklear promptly struck out, and the Brewers would have the chance to walk this one off.
Juan Morillo came on for the bottom of the inning and gave up a single to Friday night’s walk-off hero in Contreras. He was replaced by Brandon Lockridge as the pinch-runner, and after a long battle, Yelich walked on the ninth pitch to put runners at first and second. Vaughn then walked himself to load’em up with no outs, and that was all for Morillo as he was pulled for Kyle Backhus.
With no outs, the D-backs had the infield in, but it wouldn’t matter as Frelick flew out to shallow center, not nearly deep enough to score the winning run. Still with just one out, Collins was able to come through, hitting a fly ball plenty deep to right field that Carroll was able to catch for the last out of the game, as Lockridge raced home to score the ninth run in a 9-8 walk-off victory, Milwaukee’s 10th such win this year.
It was a game with a little bit of everything, as it looked like the Brewers were on the verge of falling victim to another set of woodpeckers after leading for most of the night. Instead, the Crew walks away with a 9-8 victory, which counts just the same as a 6-0 or 8-3 win would have.
While Myers and Koenig both struggled out of the bullpen, Miller was the hero against his former team, working out of two sticky situations and coming away with his fourth win of the year (and first as a Brewer) after working 1 1/3 innings with a pair of strikeouts.
All nine starters for Milwaukee reached, with only Collins not picking up a hit — though I’d venture to say he doesn’t care after driving in the game-winning run. Contreras led the way with a 3-for-5 night featuring a homer, two RBIs, and two runs scored, while Turang added his own homer. Siegler had a pair of RBIs, and Milwaukee totaled 12 hits and four walks for the game.
With at least a series split already secured in this four-game set, the Brewers will look to make it three in a row on Wednesday night with Quinn Priester on the hill opposing Ryne Nelson. First pitch is once again at 6:40 p.m. CT.
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