Offense leaves town quietly
Offense held to 1 run in loss to Rays after 0-for-8 performance with runners in scoring position
Brewers fall to Rays 2-1 on Sunday
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. And so it goes for the Milwaukee Brewers, who got another terrific start from Jimmy Nelson only to see the offense once again fail to show.
They got away with it on Friday and Saturday, squeezing out victories for Brandon Woodruff and Zach Davies. But on Sunday afternoon it was Nelson who paid the price as the Brewers fell in painful fashion, 2-1, to the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field.
Orlando Arcia’s sixth-inning home run was the highlight of an otherwise punchless six-hit Milwaukee attack that also featured an 0-for-8 performance with runners in scoring position.
It was enough to keep the Brewers in it until the ninth, when Steven Souza, Jr. hammered Jacob Barnes’s second pitch of the bottom half of the inning out to left to hand them their seventh walk-off loss of the season and first since July 19.Nelson, meanwhile, was superb, allowing six hits, one run and two walks with nine strikeouts over an eight-inning, 107pitch day.
“Jimmy pitched awesome,” said third baseman Travis Shaw. “(Allowed) one run over eight innings, and you’d expect to have the lead going into the
ninth. But just another bad day by the offense.”
The Brewers missed out on a shot at a rare road sweep as well as a chance at jumping back into first place in the Central Division standings after the Chicago Cubs lost.
Shaw, who was knocked out of Saturday’s game with a neck contusion, found himself in the game one-half inning into Sunday after Domingo Santana was hit in the right wrist by a Chris Archer fastball.
And it was his single that accounted for Milwaukee’s lone hit until the sixth, when Arcia led off the frame by homering to left-center to tie it at 1-1. The Brewers went on to load the bases against Archer in the frame, but he struck out Hernán Pérez to escape the jam and end his day.
They managed just four baserunners the rest of the way against a trio of Rays relievers. Eric Thames and Pérez singled to open what was shaping up to be a promising ninth, but Manny Piña grounded into a hard-hit double play on which shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria was perfectly positioned to field nearly even with second base.
Keon Broxton then grounded out to put an exclamation point on the frustration.
“The best we can do is hit the ball well,” Piña said. “I thought the ball would go through. The shortstop is supposed to move because they think I’m bunting, but he stayed there. I hit it hard, but it was right to him. “Double play.” Nelson pitched a 1-2-3 first to run the Brewers’ streak of consecutive scoreless innings to 23 before the Rays loaded the bases against him in the second with nobody out.
Nelson managed the jam the best he could, and ultimately Tampa Bay scored only one run on Wilson Ramos’s doubleplay ball.
The Rays threatened again in the sixth and the eighth, but the right-hander made that lone tally stand up the rest of the way.
Nelson’s eighth and final inning might have been his most impressive, After recording the first two outs he allowed a ground-rule double to Lucas Duda and walked Evan Longoria only to strike out Rays cleanup hitter Logan Morrison with a nasty breaking ball.
Nelson stalked off the mound with a yell and a fist pump and with his third outing of eight innings or more in his pocket.
All the hard work went for naught when Souza blasted Barnes’ second offering out to give Tampa Bay its first walk-off win via a homer since May 22, 2014 — the longest such streak in the major leagues.
Counsell made the call for Barnes (3-3) based on matchups, he said. Anthony Swarzak was unavailable, having pitched the previous three games.
“It was a tough game,” Counsell said. “Their guys pitched well, too. It was a great start. These guys have been pitching in situations where they’ve got no room for error, and (Nelson) executed beautifully.
“We had a couple opportunities and like a lot in this streak, we’re missing them and not getting the big hit.” BEHIND THE BOX SCORE
■ The Brewers have released right-hander Tom Wilhelmsen.
Drafted by Milwaukee in 2002 and a veteran of 344 major-league games, he had been signed to a minor-league deal on June 22 after being released by Arizona. He went on to go 0-1 with a 13.15 ERA and WHIP of 2.62 in 16 appearances (13 innings) at Class AAA Colorado Springs.
■ Chase Anderson threw a final bullpen session in preparation for his minor-league rehab assignment, which is scheduled to begin Tuesday at Class A Wisconsin. STAT SHEET
■ Sunday marked the second time this season Nelson was saddled with a no-decision in a start in which he pitched at least eight innings and allowed only one run, joining Ben Sheets (2002), Jeff D’Amico (2000) and Ray Burris (1985) in that club.
■ Arcia was 5 for 10
with a double, triple, two homers and three RBI in the series — all out of the No. 9 spot in the lineup. He’s one of four shortstops in the majors with double-digit homers and steals (11 and 10), joining Texas’ Elvis Andrus, Arizona’s Chris Owings and LAA’s Andrelton Simmons.
TAKEAWAY
How many more times can it be said? The offense needs to get in gear, and in a hurry. It has to be incredibly frustrating for the pitching staff to pitch as well as it has, only to see efforts like Nelson’s go for naught. RECORD
This year: 59-54 (31-27 home; 28-27 away)
Last year: 51-62 NEXT GAME
Monday: Brewers at Twins, 7:10 p.m. Milwaukee LHP Brent Suter (2-2, 3.04) vs. Minnesota RHP Ervin Santana (12-7, 3.28) TV: FS Wisconsin. Radio: AM-620.