The Brewers had to work for every inch of this one, but they still walked out of Baltimore with a 6-5 extra-inning win after blowing two leads and surviving a wild finish.
Milwaukee got rolling early behind the bottom of the order, then Jackson Chourio delivered the big swing that put them in front. Luis Lara reached on a soft grounder down the third-base line, Cooper Pratt drew a walk, and Chourio jumped on a 3-0 changeup from Cade Povich, launching it 419 feet into the center-field bleachers for a 3-0 lead.
That cushion didn’t last long. Dustin May looked steady enough through the first two innings, allowing a single in each frame without letting Baltimore into scoring position, but the third unraveled fast. Leody Tavares singled, Dylan Beavers walked, and Pete Alonso - already carrying 37 home runs - worked the count full before hammering a cutter to right field to tie it.
May never recovered. Coby Mayo doubled hard, Samuel Basallo singled, and Christian Encarnacion-Strand was hit by an 0-2 sinker before Pat Murphy made the call.
It was the second straight game the Brewers’ starter couldn’t get through three innings. Shane Drohan stepped in and stopped the bleeding, striking out Colton Cowser and getting Jeremiah Jackson to ground out.
From there, the game settled into a long stretch where both bullpens kept finding just enough answers. Milwaukee threatened in the fourth when Pratt singled again and stole second, but Chourio’s line drive to right was tracked down by Leody Tavares. After that, the offense went quiet for a while, even as the Brewers kept putting men on base.
The Orioles had their own chances, especially when Mayo opened the fifth with another double. He moved to third on a groundout, then got caught in a rundown after Encarnacion-Strand hit a weak grounder back to Antonio Senzatela. Joey Ortiz finished the tag, and Milwaukee escaped the inning with no damage.
DL Hall held Baltimore in check through the sixth and seventh, while the Brewers kept scratching for baserunners without cashing in. Their best shot before the late innings came in the eighth, when Josh Walker and Rico Garcia both walked the bases loaded, only for Pratt to fly out to right.
Then the game flipped in the ninth. Brice Turang singled off Garcia, and William Contreras came through with the go-ahead double. Craig Albernaz went to Grant Wolfram, and Christian Yelich added another RBI with a two-out single to give Milwaukee some breathing room.
It still wasn’t enough to make the finish comfortable.
Trevor Megill entered the bottom of the ninth with a save streak that had lasted since June 5, but Baltimore punched back. Gunnar Henderson singled, Mayo doubled again, and Basallo lifted a fly ball to right that Sal Frelick had to run down after pinch-hitting for Lara.
With his torn labrum, Frelick had no shot at getting Henderson at the plate. Encarnacion-Strand followed with a sacrifice fly to tie it, with Mayo just beating the throw from Garrett Mitchell.
Megill then struck out Heston Kjerstad to keep it from getting worse.
Milwaukee answered in the 10th. Ortiz started on second, Garrett Mitchell bunted him over, and Frelick grounded a single through the right side to put the Brewers back on top.
That set the stage for Chad Patrick, who shut the door for his sixth save of the season.
The Brewers improved to 96-58 and will be back at it tomorrow with Robert Gasser scheduled to face left-hander Trevor Rogers. First pitch is set for 3:05 p.m.
In Other News...
Christian Yelich Keeps Giving Brewers Fans Another Reason To Love Him
Christian Yelich keeps finding ways to matter to the Brewers beyond what he does in the batters box. This week, he was named Milwaukees nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award for the second time in four seasons, a recognition that goes to players whose work in the community reflects the legacy of Clemente and his lifelong commitment to service.
Yelichs resume off the field has only deepened his standing with fans in Milwaukee, where he has backed military veterans, youth baseball and programs focused on childrens health and education. For a player already central to the Brewers identity, it is another reminder that his influence around the organization stretches well beyond the lineup card. [Read more 🡒]
Pat Murphy Sends A Clear Message With Brewers Lineup Choice
The Brewers are back in action this afternoon for the second game of their series against the Orioles, and Pat Murphys lineup gives a pretty clear read on where his priorities are in the middle of a long season. With left-hander Robert Gasser on the mound for Milwaukee and Trevor Rogers set to start for Baltimore, the Brewers are leaning into a different look than the one fans might expect, with several regulars getting the day off.
It is the kind of move that can say plenty without anyone needing to explain it, especially with first pitch set for 3:05 p.m. and the game available on Brewers.TV, WTMJ 620 and the Brewers Radio Network. For a club trying to balance the grind of the schedule with the demands of staying fresh, Murphys lineup choice suggests there is a bigger picture in mind, even if the immediate question is how the Brewers will piece together this one. [Read more 🡒]
Christian Yelich Is At The Center Of A Huge Brewers Debate
Christian Yelich has been at the heart of the Brewers rise for nearly a decade now, ever since Milwaukee landed him from Miami in a four-player trade on Jan. 25, 2018. The move changed the shape of the franchise almost immediately. Yelich became one of the teams defining players, won the National League MVP award in 2018, and helped lead Milwaukee to the playoffs eight times in nine seasons, giving the Brewers a steady centerpiece through a long stretch of contention.
Even with all that production, the conversation around Yelich is no longer just about what he has done in the past. Injuries have interrupted parts of his run, and that has made his place in the Brewers present and future a more complicated debate than it once seemed. For a team that has leaned on him so heavily, the question is how much more he can still provide, and how Milwaukee chooses to weigh the star power, the durability concerns and everything he has already meant to the organization. [Read more 🡒]