The lightweight wins by a knockout
CHICAGO - It was, quite simply, a game to forget for the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night.
Facing the worst team in the major leagues in the Chicago White Sox, the Brewers didn't do much of anything right in an 8-3 interleague loss at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Chase Anderson couldn't hold an early lead. The offense went silent after the third inning. The defense was shaky. The bullpen couldn't maintain a tie.
All of it added up to one of those rare ugly games the Brewers have mostly been able to avoid in becoming the first team in the National League to reach 35 victories.
Anderson was cruising along having retired nine of 10 batters in a 3-3 game when a two-out single by José Abreu in the sixth inning started Chicago's winning rally.
With Anderson's pitch count at 82, manager Craig Counsell called on lefthander Boone Logan to face the lefthanded-hitting Daniel Palka. Boone walked Palka on just five pitches and then gave way to Matt Albers.
Albers was greeted by a sinking liner to left off the bat of Tim Anderson. Christian Yelich ran in on the ball but let it get past him, allowing both runners to score and Anderson to reach third with a triple.
Omar Narváez then rolled a single to right to plate Anderson and up Chicago's lead to 6-3.
Anderson (4-4) allowed five hits, four runs (three earned) and a walk. He struck out a season-low one batter, but also managed to avoid giving up a home run for the first time since April 14.
The White Sox tacked on a pair of insurance runs against Dan Jennings in the seventh.
The Brewers wasted no time in jumping on Chicago left-hander Héctor Santiago. Lorenzo Cain drew a leadoff walk and Ryan Braun followed two batters later with a homer to right-center to give Anderson a quick 2-0 lead with which to work.
Milwaukee tacked on another run in the third when Travis Shaw reached after bunting against the shift, went to third on a Domingo Santana double and scored on a sacrifice fly to center by Her-
nán Pérez.
After facing the minimum in the first two innings, Anderson ran into trouble quickly in the bottom of the third.
Adam Engel doubled and scored when Charlie Tilson singled. After Tilson stole second, Trayce Thompson followed with a chopper to third. Shaw's throw to first was wide left, allowing Tilson to score and Thompson to advance to second.
Yoán Moncada singled in Thompson to knot the score at 3-3.
FIVE TAKEAWAYS
CONGRATULATIONS: Yelich and Jeremy Jeffress were honored as the Brewers' player and pitcher of the month for May, respectively. Yelich hit .330 with five homers, 17 RBI and five stolen bases while compiling a .928 OPS while Jeffress went 3-0 with a 0.60 ERA, three saves and 13 strikeouts in 13 appearances (15 innings).
WELCOME BACK: Tyler Saladino had this weekend's interleague series in Chicago circled on his calendar ever since the Brewers traded for him on April 19, considering Saladino was drafted by and played only for the White Sox in the major leagues before going to Milwaukee. A sprained left ankle kept him out, but he still spent time before the game renewing acquaintances with some of his ex-teammates.
INSPIRATIONAL: White Sox pitcher Danny Farquhar threw out the ceremonial first pitch while surrounded by the entire team on the mound. Farquhar suffered a brain hemorrhage from a ruptured aneurysm on April 20, and will miss the remainder of the season as he recovers.
BRAUNY HACKS: After retiring the first two batters he faced in the second inning, Santiago issues three consecutive walks to bring up Braun, who'd already homered in the first. Rather than take a pitch or two, Braun jumped on the first pitch he saw from Santiago – a 92mph sinker – and flied out to right.
FAMILIAR FACES: Through the sixth and seventh innings, the Brewers pitched Logan, Albers and Jennings in succession. All three had been White Sox relievers, Jennings most recently in 2017 (3-1, 3.45 ERA in 48 appearances). The Brewers also have a fourth pitcher with White Sox ties, Junior Guerra, who won't see action in the series.
RECORD
This year: 36-22 Last year: 30-28
COMING UP
Saturday: Brewers at White Sox, 1:10 p.m. Milwaukee RHP Jhoulys Chacín (3-1, 3.69) vs. RHP James Shields (1-5, 4.54). TV: FS Wisconsin. Radio: AM-620.