Brice Turang kept piling up the damage, Robert Gasser kept carving up the Cardinals, and the Brewers walked away with an 8-4 win that pushed them to 101 victories on the regular season.
Gasser made his final start of the year count. With a possible NLDS start hanging in the balance, he delivered six dominant innings and allowed only one hit, a homer by Ivan Herrera.
He struck out a career-high nine and did not let St. Louis breathe early, retiring the first 10 hitters he faced while punching out six of them.
Milwaukee backed him right away. Garrett Mitchell singled to open the first, and Turang followed with an RBI double for his 95th RBI of the season.
The Brewers added another run in the fourth after Christian Yelich worked a leadoff walk and Joey Ortiz singled. Luis Lara’s fielder’s choice moved Yelich to third, and Sal Frelick brought him home on another fielder’s choice to make it 2-1. David Hamilton then doubled to put runners on second and third, but Mitchell grounded out to first to end the inning.
Turang struck again in the fifth. He opened the frame with his second double of the night, then scored on a Jake Bauers single.
Yelich followed with a single, Lara walked, and the bases were loaded. That forced Oli Marmol to pull starter Michael McGreevy for left-hander Brycen Mautz.
Pat Murphy answered by pinch-hitting Jackson Chourio for Frelick, and Chourio drew a walk to force in another run and stretch the lead to 4-1.
With Gasser back out for the sixth, the Cardinals went down in order again. He came off the mound to a standing ovation, and Murphy turned the game over to the bullpen.
“He threw the ball great. He’s been throwing the ball with great confidence” Pat Murphy said. “I think he’s got tremendous confidence and he’ll definitely be somebody who pitches for us [in October].”
Then the game flipped fast.
Bryse Wilson, activated off the injured list just a few hours earlier, entered and immediately ran into trouble. Jordan Walker greeted him with a homer, Leo Bernal followed with a single, and Alec Burleson launched a towering blast that clipped the foul pole about 80% of the way to the top. Just like that, Milwaukee’s 4-1 cushion vanished and the game was tied 4-4.
The Brewers answered in the eighth. Chourio started the inning with a leadoff single, Hamilton was hit by a pitch, and Mitchell dropped down a sacrifice bunt.
Justin Bruihl’s throw to first sailed away, loading the bases for Turang. He punched a single to left through the drawn-in infield, driving in his 96th and 97th RBIs of the year.
Turang has been locked in during September, hitting .368/.484/.592 with eight doubles, three homers, and 19 RBIs.
St. Louis then made another pitching change, bringing in Cade Winquest.
He picked Mitchell off at second, but Mitchell tried to turn the play into a rundown and headed for third. Winquest’s off-balance throw sailed over the third baseman’s head and into the railing, letting both runners move up.
William Contreras followed with a single to left for another run, and Bauers added a sacrifice fly to left to make it 8-4.
Trevor Megill handled the ninth and finished it off quickly.
Joey Ortiz was taken out late because of a nagging knee bruise he suffered in Philadelphia. Murphy said his knee was “really sore today, so that’s why we put Hamilton at short, just because Joey’s knee couldn’t move very much.”
The Brewers have two games left in the regular season. Dustin May will start Saturday, and Jacob Misiorowski will get the ball Sunday.
In Other News...
Brewers Just Got A Joey Ortiz Update They Had To Hear
Joey Ortiz gave the Brewers a much-needed scare check on the injury front, but the early read appears encouraging. An MRI came back clean enough for manager Pat Murphy to describe the results as good, easing concern around the abdominal swelling and bruised knee that had put Ortiz in the spotlight as Milwaukee turns its attention to October.
Ortiz has become an important piece for the Brewers since his game took a real step forward in mid-June, and the team is counting on that version of him in the postseason. For now, the expectation is that hell be ready when the National League Division Series begins on October 3, which is the kind of update Milwaukee needed after a tense few days. [Read more 🡒]
Christian Yelich Had One Condition Before Accepting Brewers Captaincy
Christian Yelich has long been one of the steady voices inside the Brewers clubhouse, so it did not come as a shock when the club officially elevated him to captain. The move, Milwaukees first formal captaincy, came with Robin Younts blessing and was later confirmed by manager Pat Murphy, a reminder that this was as much about respect and presence as it was about production on the field.
Yelich will now wear a C on his jersey, placing him in a small group of active major leaguers with that distinction. The timing also suggests the Brewers were deliberate about making sure the role fit the person, not just the rsum, and there was one requirement Yelich wanted met before he said yes to the honor. [Read more 🡒]
Brandon Woodruff Just Reached A Rehab Stage Brewers Fans Needed
Brandon Woodruff has reached a meaningful checkpoint in his rehab, getting medical approval to begin throwing off a mound as he works his way back. For a Brewers team that has been waiting on any encouraging signs from one of its most important arms, it is the kind of development that at least keeps the door cracked on a late-season return.
Pat Murphy still made it clear the odds remain long, and the club has not framed this as a sure thing. Woodruff was originally expected to need surgery, so the fact that he has continued recovering without it has already changed the conversation, even if the next steps now matter more than ever. [Read more 🡒]