Brewers all-stars have mixed results
The Brewers’ middle infield has been a tough puzzle to solve in 2018, but the squad’s former middle infielders offered big-time reminders of what Milwaukee is missing.
Scooter Gennett, the Cincinnati Reds second baseman waived by the Brewers before the 2017 season, hit a game-tying, two-run homer against Seattle’s Edwin Diaz in the ninth, saving Brewers left-hander Josh Hader from a loss and sending the All-Star Game into extra innings Tuesday night in Washington D.C.
Houston’s Alex Bregman and George Springer ultimately homered in the top of the 10th, part of a three-run frame that gave the American League an 8-6 win.
Hader had served up a three-run homer to another former Brewers infielder, Seattle’s Jean Segura, in the eighth inning of a 2-2 game. At the time, it looked like Hader was on track to absorb the loss — the first Brewers pitcher to do so since Rollie Fingers surrendered an eighth-inning home run in 1981 to Phillies legend Mike Schmidt.
However, Christian Yelich got one run back in the bottom of the eighth when he homered off Houston’s Charlie Morton, becoming the second Brewers player to homer in an All-Star Game. Yelich joined Prince Fielder, who earned the game’s MVP honor in 2011.
Jesús Aguilar very nearly homered twice — once on a long foul ball and then again with two outs in the ninth, when his deep drive to center just missed reaching the wall for the fourth walk-off home run in All-Star Game history.
Segura haunts his old team
Segura, who was traded by the Brewers to the Arizona Diamondbacks before the 2016 season as part of a package that brought back Chase Anderson, Isan Diaz and Aaron Hill, has been enjoying a massive season for the Seattle Mariners. Segura joined Aguilar as a winner of the Final Vote competition last week that netted him the final spot on the allstar roster.
Hader allowed a leadoff single to Texas Rangers outfielder Shin-Soo Choo, then dominated Alex Bregman for a strikeout before Astros standout George Springer singled to put two runners on with one out. Segura hit a long, foul ball that had home-run distance before hitting a pop-up that Cincinnati’s Joey Votto had in his glove while reaching over the railing in foul territory. But Votto couldn’t hang on.
Votto was charged with an error. Segura homered on the next pitch to give the AL a 5-2 lead, and Hader was pulled after allowing a follow-up single.
It was the latest note in a rough AllStar Game experience for Brewers fans. Hader’s outing followed Aguilar’s elimination in the first round of Monday’s Home Run Derby and reports Tuesday that the Los Angeles Dodgers would be acquiring Baltimore shortstop Manny Machado — a top target the Brewers had pursued.
Hader allowed back-to-back homers against Miami in the final week before the all-star break and also struggled against Kansas City in a late-June outing, though he’s looked dominant as ever in three other outings before the break.
Hader became the first left-handed Brewers pitcher in an All-Star Game since Dan Plesac appeared in 1988 and ‘89. Chris Capuano was named to the team in 2006 but did not appear.
Yelich’s adventures
Yelich’s homer was the third solo shot parked by NL batters, following Colorado’s Trevor Story’s game-tying blow in the seventh and Willson Contreras of the Cubs in the third.
Yelich batted first in the bottom of the sixth against Oakland’s Blake Treinen and fouled off the first six pitches — all to the opposite field — before pulling a groundout to Jed Lowrie.
Yelich was also involved in strange defensive play in the seventh, when former Brewers prospect Michael Brantley lofted a fly ball to left. Yelich could have caught the ball for the third out of the inning but appeared to lose it in the lights, allowing the ball to fall harmlessly. Pirates left-hander Felipe Vazquez ultimately worked out of the inning.
In the 10th, Yelich couldn’t get a ball out of his glove quickly to throw home, and Segura scored on a sacrifice fly, uncontested, to give the AL an 8-5 lead.
Yelich also struck out in the 10th to finish 1 for 3.
Jeffress works a scoreless sixth
Jeremy Jeffress pitched a clean sixth inning, working around a leadoff walk to former Brewer and current Seattle standout Nelson Cruz. Bregman hit a soft grounder up the middle that Story fielded cleanly, then stepped on the bag and threw low to first, allowing Bregman to reach.
But after Yankees slugger Aaron Judge bounced out to third, Cleveland’s Francisco Lindor put a good swing on a ball that nonetheless landed harmlessly in the glove of centerfielder Charlie Blackmon.
Yelich and Brewers teammate Lorenzo Cain, playing left and right, respectively, also checked in during the sixth defensively behind Jeffress.
Cain registers a loud out
Cain swatted a first-pitch shot to the opposite field leading off the seventh against Morton, but the ball was flagged down by former Brewers draft pick Mitch Haniger, having a breakout year with the Mariners. One batter later, Story tied the game at 2-2 with a home run.
Cain also struck out to end the eighth inning and made the final out of the game in the 10th to finish 0 for 3.
Aguilar just misses a homer, twice
Aguilar came up in a big spot as a pinch hitter in the seventh with two on and two out against Morton in a tie game. Aguilar hit a towering fly ball foul down the left-field line with home-run distance, then saw the opportunity become bigger when runners advanced to second and third on a wild pitch. But Morton induced a pop-up to shortstop Lindor — who was giving an on-air interview at the time.
Facing Edwin Diaz in the aftermath of Gennett’s homer, it appeared for a second that Aguilar had launched a gamewinning homer to center, but Springer settled under it.
Sights and sounds
Aguilar caught some action in the dugout and posted to Twitter, including the home-run swing by Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge.