Hot in Miami
Yelich torments his old team with four RBI night
MIAMI - Christian Yelich is making the most of his Miami return.
The newly minted all-star went 3 for 5 with a pair of doubles on Tuesday night, helping push the Milwaukee Brewers past the Miami Marlins, 8-4, at Marlins Park.
Yelich drove in four of the Brewers’ eight runs and he now has five hits in 10 at-bats against his former team, which has been surprisingly competitive so far in the series despite being swept in four April games at Miller Park.
The offense came fast and furious in the opening two innings.
The Brewers loaded the bases against Pablo López with nobody out in the first but came away with only a run on a Travis Shaw groundout. The Marlins came right back with a pair of runs in the second against Jhoulys Chacín, who surrendered a double, two singles and a walk.
The second was Milwaukee’s biggest and best frame in the series to date, but started off poorly.
Keon Broxton opened with a swinging bunt and moved to second on a groundout, only to be thrown out at third trying to advance on a grounder to shortstop by Chacín.
Then, with two outs, the next five Milwaukee hitters reached base with Christian Yelich and Tyler Saladino each delivering two-RBI singles to put Milwaukee back in front, 5-2.
Miami got a run back in the bottom of the second on a sacrifice fly by Derek Dietrich. It then added another in the fourth after López reached against his counterpart Chacín — this time on
a walk — and came in to score two batters later on a groundout to close to within 5-4.
Chacín (8-3) allowed seven hits, four runs (earned) and three walks with three strikeouts in his 52⁄3-inning, 94-pitch outing.
Rookie pitcher Corbin Burnes made his major-league debut in the bottom of the eighth -- and in a pressure situation -- and performed admirably by inducing a groundout, a flyout and a strikeout.
After Yelich’s two-out, two-RBI triple in the ninth provided the Brewers some valuable breathing room, Burnes fired a 1-2-3 ninth to cap his night with his first career save.
FIVE TAKEAWAYS
OUCH: Jesús Aguilar was so displeased with himself after taking a called strike right down the heart of the plate in the second inning that he banged himself in the helmet with his bat, a shot that reverberated loudly throughout the mostly empty ballpark.
CAIN RESTED: Cain was informed on Monday night, not long after the Brewers’ 10-inning loss to the Marlins, that he would be out of the lineup Tuesday. He’d started both games since being reinstated from the disabled list on Sunday.
LOOKING GOOD: Brent Suter said he was “really encouraged” by his throwing session Tuesday as he works his way back from the strained left forearm that sent him to the 10day disabled list last Friday. Because the move was backdated three days earlier, he could potentially return in time to be one of the five starters the Brewers will need for their upcoming series in Pittsburgh.
“We haven’t made any final decision there yet. That spot is still open,” Counsell said.
IN THE BOOKS: Rookie Jacob Nottingham collected his first majorleague hit, a single, in Monday’s loss to the Marlins and later in the game picked up his first extra-base hit as well by doubling to left.
ORTIZ ADDED: Class AA Biloxi right-hander Luis Ortiz will take part in the all-star futures game in Washington, D.C. on Sunday. He was named as an injury replacement for one of the top pitching prospects in the game, Houston’s Forrest Whitley. Ortiz, 22, is 1-4 with a 4.41 earned run average in 12 appearances (seven starts) this season for the Shuckers, and has struck out 51 in 49 innings. He’s rated as the Brewers’ No. 4 prospect by the Journal Sentinel, and joins top overall prospect and Biloxi teammate Keston Hiura on Team USA.
RECORD
This year: 55-37 Last year: 51-41
COMING UP
Wednesday: Brewers at Marlins, 6:10 p.m. Milwaukee RHP Freddy Peralra (4-1, 2.14) vs. Miami RHP Dan Straily (3-4, 4.55). TV: FS Wisconsin. Radio: AM-620.