Small plays add up to tough loss
PHILADELPHIA – It was one of those games where the little things made the difference, and the Milwaukee Brewers didn’t get enough of them done.
The result Sunday afternoon was a 4-3 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park that left the Brewers second-guessing themselves on a few fronts, including defensive plays that weren’t made in the fifth inning when they in essence gave away three runs.
“That inning, we didn’t get some outs we had to get,” manager Craig Counsell said.
Ahead, 2-1, entering the bottom of the fifth, left-hander Dan Jennings took over after Counsell used a pinch-hitter for starter Brandon Woodruff in the top of the inning in what he called an “aggressive” move to try to score some runs, with looming rain also a factor. After J.P. Crawford led off with a single, nothing went right for the Brewers.
Third baseman Travis Shaw got a somewhat tricky hop on a grounder from Andrew Knapp and muffed it for an error instead of possibly starting a double play. The Brewers then tried to get an out at third on pitcher Zach Elfin’s bunt, but Crawford beat first baseman Jesús Aguilar’s throw to load the bases.
“Crawford did a nice job on the bases there,” Counsell said. “I’d have to look at the tape but I think Crawford got a pretty good jump. We should be able to get an out at third on a bunt like that.”
Jennings walked César Hernán-
dez to force in a run and Rhys Hoskins followed with a sacrifice fly. Aguilar then tried to start a 3-6-3 double play on Odúbel Herrera’s grounder instead of throwing home to get Eflin, but Herrera beat the relay and Philadelphia had a 4-2 lead.
“Aggie tried to turn the double play there; that’s a tough call,” Counsell said. “It was obviously a bang-bang play at first, but when we don’t get the double play they score another run. We just gave them their runs today.”
In the top of the inning, with Philadelphia ahead, 1-0, and the bases loaded with one down, Counsell went for the runs by hitting Hernán Pérez for Woodruff, who had allowed only one hit and an unearned run.
Pérez struck out, but Lorenzo Cain salvaged the inning by smacking an infield hit that caromed off Eflin, tying the score. Christian Yelich then worked Eflin for a walk to force in a run, putting the Brewers on top, 2-1.
“(Woodruff ) threw the ball beautifully,” Counsell said. “Look, it’s a big scoring opportunity, there’s a threat of rain. So we made a call to try to score runs. It didn’t work (with Pérez) but I’d do it again.
“And we had a good matchup with Dan Jennings in the bottom of the inning that I’d go to again. It was the right matchup. It was just one of those days when it didn’t work.”
The Brewers didn’t go down without a fight. Ryan Braun made it a one-run game in the eighth with an RBI single, and there were runners on second and third in the ninth when Yelich grounded out to second to end the game.
“Having ‘Yelly’ up, second and third, is something we’ll take every time,” Counsell said. “We put pressure on in the last couple of innings, made it difficult on them, made them have to make plays and pitches, and they did.”
FIVE TAKEAWAYS
IT STARTS AT THE TOP: The Brewers’ offense has been at its best when the Nos. 1 and 2 hitters, Cain and Yelich, have set the table and that continued to be the case in this series. “They’ve played a role in this thing all year,” Counsell said. “It’s the walks combined with lowering our strikeouts. It’s more base-runners, more pitches for the pitchers. We’ve done a better job of that, in particular, in two really key spots in the lineup.”
BRAUN JOINS THE CROWD: The addition of Cain and Yelich has greatly improved the Brewers’ outfield defense as well, but Braun showed he still has some defensive chops in the fourth inning. With a runner on second and two down, Braun charged into the gap in left-center and made a diving stab of Nick Williams’ sinking liner, robbing him of an RBI hit.
SHAW BACK IN LINEUP: Shaw was back at third base for the series finale after being removed in the seventh inning Saturday by Counsell for not running hard to first base on a grounder to the pitcher, who made a bad throw but was still in time for the out. Counsell said Shaw was removed because of an agreement the two have: “Travis and I have had a conversation about this, and we agreed upon this. It’s a small detail that I’m holding Travis accountable for, and we’ve agreed upon. I feel like I’m holding Travis accountable for something he wants to be held accountable for. We’re to the point as a team where we have to make sure the small details aren’t the ones that beat us. We want to do our best to control the spots where effort doesn’t get us in trouble in big moments.”
HADER HAS BEEN CRAZY GOOD: When the Brewers pulled away to their 12-3 victory Saturday, it increased their record to 21-0 in games in which reliever Josh Hader pitches. But a truly crazy statistic surfaced later, courtesy of the Inside Edge sports analytics company. On two-strike counts, hitters are 0 for 80 with 64 strikeouts against him this season.
TOUGH STRETCH ON SCHEDULE COMING: The Brewers have a scheduled off-day Thursday after their home series against the Cubs. After that, they are slated to play 30 games entering the all-star break with only one day off (June 25), including the last 20 with no break. “Our pitching is going to be challenged,” Counsell said. “We’re entering a different phase of the season at that point, and it will challenge us. We’ll have to plan for that and maybe think a little bit differently.”
RECORD
This year: 39-26 Last year: 33-32
COMING UP
Monday: Cubs at Brewers, 7:10 p.m. Milwaukee RHP Junior Guerra (3-4, 2.83) vs. Chicago LHP José Quintana (6-4, 4.20). TV: FS Wisconsin. Radio: AM-620.