The Brewers didn’t need a barrage to keep rolling Friday night. They leaned on pitching, waited for a few openings, and walked out with a 3-1 win over the Angels for their second straight victory.
Robert Gasser set the tone early and then settled in. Los Angeles struck first in the opening inning when Mike Trout singled with one out and Jorge Soler followed with a two-out RBI double to left, scoring Trout from first for a 1-0 lead.
After that, Gasser took over, retiring Nolan Schanuel to end the inning and then stringing together four more scoreless frames. He finished with five innings, allowing one run on four hits and two walks while striking out six.
Milwaukee had a chance to answer quickly against Brent Suter, who got the start for the Angels after José Soriano was scratched amid trade speculation ahead of Monday’s deadline. Suter breezed through the first, then ran into trouble in the second.
He got two outs around a walk to Andrew Vaughn, then issued back-to-back walks to Garrett Mitchell and Cooper Pratt to load the bases. Joey Ortiz came up with a chance to swing the game, but he grounded into a force out at third to end the inning.
Suter’s night was done after two innings, and Brett Kerry came in for the third. Kerry escaped that frame even after giving up a double to William Contreras, but the Brewers finally broke through in the fourth. Jake Bauers led off by driving a solo homer to right-center, his 20th of the season, to tie the game at 1-1.
From there, Milwaukee’s bullpen slammed the door. Chad Patrick replaced Gasser to start the sixth and was electric, allowing just one hit while striking out five over two scoreless innings. The Angels never found another clean rally against him or the rest of the Brewers’ relief crew.
The decisive run came in the eighth. Ortiz struck out to open the inning, but Jackson Chourio answered with a double to get the go-ahead run into scoring position. Brice Turang then fought back from an 0-2 count and lifted a soft liner into center that dropped in front of a charging Trout, bringing Chourio home for a 2-1 Milwaukee lead.
The Brewers added one more in the ninth. Mitchell drew a one-out walk, stole second, and Pratt followed with a single through the middle to score him and make it 3-1. Trevor Megill then needed just three batters in the bottom of the ninth to close it out.
The win pushed Milwaukee to 69-41 and restored its spot atop the majors, half a game ahead of the Dodgers. A win Saturday would make the Brewers the first club to 70 victories, at least until the Dodgers and Red Sox play later in the day.
Milwaukee goes for the sweep Saturday afternoon with NL Cy Young frontrunner Jacob Misiorowski on the mound against Walbert Ureña (6-7, 2.70 ERA). First pitch is set for 2:15 p.m.
In Other News...
Brewers May Be Trying Another Deadline Turnaround Fans Have Seen Before
The Brewers were active again at the deadline, working a four-player deal with Cleveland that added catcher Bo Naylor and reliever Codi Heuer to a roster built around constant roster churn and opportunistic bets. In return, Milwaukee sent reliever Craig Yoho and outfielder Blake Perkins to the Guardians, another reminder that this front office is rarely afraid to swap pieces if it thinks theres a path to squeezing more out of them.
Naylors arrival is the part that makes the move feel familiar to longtime Brewers watchers. He is at a similar stage in his career to Andrew Vaughn when Milwaukee brought him in previously, and the club has shown before that it believes a fresh setting can unlock a player it thinks still has room to grow. Both Naylor and Heuer were optioned to Triple-A after the trade, so the next phase of this move will play out away from the majors while the Brewers see whether another deadline swing can produce the kind of turnaround they have chased before. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Fans Just Got Another Trade Deadline Twist In Relief Market
Another familiar bullpen name is on the move at the deadline, and this one has a Milwaukee tie. Brent Suter, the left-handed reliever who recently faced his former club, has been dealt from the Angels to the Braves, according to ESPNs Jeff Passan, with Atlanta sending infielder Nacho Alvarez Jr. back the other way.
For Brewers fans, it adds another layer to a market that has already been buzzing around relief help. Suter is heading to a contender for the stretch run, and there is at least one more twist to monitor if the schedule lines up, because the Brewers could see him again when the Braves come to town later this month. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Just Made A Staff Move Pat Murphy Really Needed
The Brewers have been looking for another layer of stability around a pitching staff that has had to keep adapting all year, and a recent move with St. Louis gives Pat Murphy another pair of arms to work with as the calendar turns toward the stretch run. It is the kind of trade that makes sense on Milwaukees side: add big-league help where it can matter most, while dealing from a deeper group of minor-league position players to make it happen.
For a club trying to piece together innings and shorten the distance from starter to endgame, the attraction is obvious. The shuffle also shows how much the Brewers value getting immediate pitching support without waiting on a prospect timeline, even if it costs them two outfielders who had been part of the organizations future depth. What comes next is the part Milwaukee will care about most: whether the new arrivals can settle in quickly enough to help right away. [Read more 🡒]