Thames hits walk-off home run, Brewers beat Padres 6-5
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell gave a pretty apt description of Eric Thames’ walk-off home run.
Thames hit the Brewers’ first walk-off home run of the season in the bottom of the 10th inning, lifting Milwaukee to a 6-5 victory over the San Diego Padres on Friday night.
“I knew he hit it good and obviously really high,” Counsell said of Thames’ first career walk-off homer and the team’s first since Martin Maldonado did it in a 17-inning win on May 31, 2015 against Arizona.
Thames’ towering shot, his 19th of the season, came off a 1-1 pitch from Ryan Butcher (3-3) that bounced off the yellow padding on top of the leftfield fence. The ball landed in the Brewers’ bullpen setting off a raucous celebration at home plate.
“I got under it, but I got it good,” Thames said. “I was like, hopefully, the wind is blowing out -- like, go, go, go!”
The retractable roof was closing as Thames started to circle the bases.
“I was kind of blowing a little,” he said. “Guess it worked. Two home runs in two nights by a matter of inches. Ain’t baseball a funny game.”
Not to Butcher.
“He hit it,” Butcher said. “He did his job.” Thames helped the Brewers beat the St. Louis Cardinals 6-4 Thursday with a two-run shot that just cleared the fence in right.
Jared Hughes (3-1) retired the side in order in the top of the 10th, helping the Brewers match their season-best fourgame winning streak for the third time.
Manny Piña tied the game in the bottom of the eighth with a solo shot off Kirby Yates.
Yangervis Solarte put the Padres ahead 5-4 in the top of the inning with his seventh home run this season.
Milwaukee starter Junior Guerra made two big mistakes in the first inning.
Wil Myers hit a threerun homer and Hunter Renfroe followed with his 15th, snapping a tie with Nate Colbert (1969) for the most rookie home runs before the All-Star break in franchise history.
Guerra allowed three earned runs over six innings, walked four and struck out three in his fifth start since coming off the disabled list on May 25 with a right calf strain.
He suffered the injury legging out a sacrifice bunt on Opening Day.
Padres: RHP Jered Weaver (left hip inflammation) and OF Manuel Margot (strained right calf) are making progress. Margot worked out and is scheduled to run the bases on Saturday.
Weaver threw a simulated game and reported that he felt pretty good.