Unable to solve their shortcomings in bonus frames again
Extra innings have not treated the Milwaukee Brewers well so far this season.
The day after pulling out a 10inning thriller against the San Diego Padres, the pendulum swung back in the other direction at Miller Park.
Carlos Torres surrendered a two-run home run in the 10th and Oliver Drake gave up two more round-trippers in the 11th as the Brewers fell to the San Diego Padres, 7-5, in a back-and-forth affair on Saturday.
Keon Broxton’s two-run homer in the bottom of the 10th provided some life, but ultimately Milwaukee dropped to 3-6 in extra-innings games this season.
The Brewers also fell short in their attempt to win their season-high fifth straight game.
Torres had retired the first two batters in the 10th before walking Wil Myers, whose solo homer in the sixth tied it at 3-3.
That brought up Yangervis Solarte – he also homered in the second. Sensing a trend? Solarte deposited a tworun shot into right-field stands as boos from the crowd of 34,312 rained down.
Torres finished out the inning, and the Brewers wasted little time tying it in the bottom half against Padres closer Brandon Maurer. Pinch-hitter Nick Franklin was hit in the foot by a pitch to start, then Broxton sent one out to right-center to knot it at 5-5.
It was the fifth homer in the last seven games for Broxton.
Drake took over for Torres in the 11th, and Spangenberg hammered his first offering out to right. Three batters later Chase d’Arnaud sent one out to left to make it 7-5.
“It’s definitely terrible,” said Torres. “We should have won that ballgame right there in the 10th inning. That’s 100% on me. Broxton’s home run should have been a walk-off home run.
“The game’s on me. I’m going to come back tomorrow, work hard, and hopefully those balls are on the ground next time.”
Manager Craig Counsell indicated command continues to be the issue for Torres, who was the Brewers’ most reliable and versatile reliever in 2016.
“For him, the stuff isn’t different; it’s just more of the plate,” he said. “He’s struggling with more balls over the middle of the plate and that’s what’s costing him.
“The cutter is his pitch. It’s his bread and butter, it’s what he’s relied on his entire career. He’s been finding too much of the plate with it sometimes.”
Orlando Arcia and Eric Thames provided all the offense in regulation for the Brewers. Arcia hit an inside-the-park homer in the third, and Thames followed with a two-run shot three batters later.
There was a total of eight homers hit Saturday, giving the Brewers and the Padres 15 through the first two games of the series. BEHIND THE BOX SCORE
The much-maligned Brewers bullpen has gotten some good work out of Jared Hughes of late.
The right-hander pitched in three straight games – including both ends of a doubleheader, which was something Hughes joked he could check off his bucket list – in St. Louis and after a scoreless eighth with two walks on Saturday has allowed just two hits and one run over his last nine appearances (8 innings).
Signed by the Brewers on April 2, Hughes is 3-1 with a 3.72 earned-run average in 29 innings.
“Jared’s doing a fabulous job,” Counsell said. “Certainly on the road trip, he took on some more innings and he’s pitched very well of late. I think he’s made some adjustments that have probably helped him, and he’s using them to his advantage.”
Thames’ homer to beat the Padres on Friday was the first walk-off homer for a Brewer since Martin Maldonado ended a 17-inning game against Arizona on May 31, 2015. STAT SHEET
Thames is the second Brewer to homer in at least four straight games multiple times in a single season, joining Geoff Jenkins. He accomplished his feat June 22-26 and Aug. 25-28, 2003.
The third marked the seventh time in franchise history the Brewers hit multiple homers, including an inside-the-park homer, in an inning. The last time was June 4, 2008 against Arizona, when Corey Hart hit a three-run, inside-the-park homer and Russell Branyan followed with a solo shot one batter later. TAKEAWAY
The bullpen continues to be an issue, with this loss a tough one to take for the Brewers. Torres had shown signs of turning things around a bit in St. Louis, only to struggle in this one. Then the Padres finished the Brewers off with Drake in the game. RECORD
This year: 37-33 (18-20 home; 19-13 away)
Last year: 31-39 ATTENDANCE Saturday: 34,312 2017 total: 1,080,374 (28,431 avg.)
Last year: 1,056,161 (27,794 avg.) NEXT GAME
Sunday: Brewers vs. Padres, 1:10 p.m. Milwaukee RHP Jimmy Nelson (4-3, 3.67) vs. San Diego RHP Luis Perdomo (1-3, 5.31). TV: FS Wisconsin. TV: Radio: 620-AM.