Knocked around and out
Guerra exits after just 4-plus innings
Already under pressure to replace the injured Chase Anderson in their starting rotation, the Milwaukee Brewers are now charged with solving what’s gone wrong with Junior Guerra.
The right-hander was hit hard and lasted just four-plus innings for the second consecutive outing on Sunday afternoon, a performance that paved the way to a listless 10-3 loss to the Miami Marlins at Miller Park.
Miami racked up 17 hits against Guerra and three relievers, with Marcell Ozuna cranking a pair of home runs and driving in four runs to deny Milwaukee its first sweep of a series of more than two games this season.
Guerra allowed eight hits, four runs and three walks while striking out seven over an 87-pitch day. His fastball topped out at just 91 mph and was sitting at 88 as he faced his final batter in the fifth.
“There’s something up, yeah,” manager Craig Counsell said. “There’s always something up when you’re not having success. The velocity is lower than last year but I think he can still be successful with better location.
“That’s what we’ll go to work on.”
Guerra (1-3) came into the game on the heels of the worst start of his major-league career, one in which he allowed eight hits — including four homers — and eight earned runs in four-plus innings against Cincinnati.
He got a one-run cushion to work with early on, after Eric Thames walked, went to third on a Ryan Braun double and scored on a Domingo Santana sacrifice fly.
After getting out of a two-on, one-out situation in the first, Guerra worked around a hit batter in the second before running out of luck in the third.
J.T. Realmuto led off with a double. Then after Giancarlo Stanton struck out, Guerra got ahead of Christian Yelich, 0-2, and then walked him. That brought up Ozuna, who
slammed a homer to straightaway center, putting Miami on top, 3-1.
Milwaukee got a run back in the bottom half when Thames crushed a mammoth shot to right field that nearly made it into the third deck. It was Thames’ first homer since June 17 and his team-leading 21st of the season.
Guerra got out of a two-on, nobody-out jam in the fourth, but he was unable to escape trouble in the fifth when Yelich and Ozuna led off with singles and Justin Bour followed with a double, ending Guerra’s day.
“Either way, it’s a bad start, no matter what,” Guerra said through interpreter Carlos Brizuela.
“You go through bad times and good times, and unfortunately right now, I’m going through bad time.”
Arcia led off the bottom half of the frame with a homer to left-center. It was his second in as many days and pulled Milwaukee to within 4-3, a two-run swing after the challenge.
But Miami pulled away from there against a Milwaukee bullpen that came in having posted a major-league-best ERA of 1.22 over the previous 11 games.
BEHIND THE BOX SCORE
Reliever Wily Peralta headed out to Class AAA Colorado Springs on Sunday to begin what’s expected to be a two-game minor-league rehab stint.
Peralta, who’s been on the disabled list since June 21 with a right-calf strain, will pitch one final bullpen session and then move onto a pair of two-inning stints with the Sky Sox.
Travis Shaw was lifted from Saturday’s game and didn’t start Sunday due to back spasms, Counsell said.
Home-plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt made Villar switch bats in the seventh after he ruled Villar had too much pine tar on the handle of his initial selection. Villar went on to walk in the appearance.
Wendelstedt also made Ozuna switch bats during in the eighth inning that concluded with his second homer. His selection? A Stanton bat.
STAT SHEET
Arcia has upped his average from .208 on May 15 to .288 after his two-hit day on Sunday. He’s reached base in nine straight games and is batting .469 with three doubles, three homers and six RBI in that span.
The Brewers have homered in 13 consecutive home games – their longest such streak since they went deep 13 times from June 23-July 21, 2013. They’ve also homered in seven straight games overall and 18 of their last 19.
TAKEAWAY
With Anderson out for at least six weeks, the timing of Guerra’s meltdown couldn’t be worse for the Brewers. His velocity is down and his command is faltering — both bad signs. RECORD
This year: 44-40 (23-23 home; 21-17 away)
Last year: 37-47
ATTENDANCE Sunday: 33,834 2017 total: 1,318,020 (28,653 avg.)
Last year: 1,329,632 (28,905 avg.)
NEXT GAME
Monday: Brewers vs. Orioles, 1:10 p.m. Milwaukee LHP Brent Suter (0-1, 4.20) vs. Baltimore LHP Wade Miley (3-6, 4.54). TV — FS Wisconsin. Radio — AM-620.