Offense silent late after noisy start
Christian Yelich’s return after a two-game absence caused by back spasms provided an early spark for the Milwaukee Brewers’ offense.
But there wasn’t much to cheer after Philadelphia starter Jerad Eickhoff exited the game.
The Phillies’ bullpen allowed only three singles and four baserunners from the fourth inning on, and the Brewers fell, 6-4, at Miller Park on Friday night.
Orlando Arcia and Yelich both homered, with Yelich’s shot part of a tworun third that gave Milwaukee a 4-2 lead against Eickhoff and the Phillies. Milwaukee’s failure to build on those round-trippers wound up costing it, however.
Brewers starter Chase Anderson, pitching with an extra day’s rest, surrendered a double in the first inning and two more in the third.
But the Brewers were able to keep pace, with Mike Moustakas doubling Ryan Braun in with two outs in the first and Arcia homering to center with two outs to make it a 2-2 game in the second.
Yelich gave Milwaukee its first lead by homering to right off Eickhoff with one out in the third.
The homer was Yelich’s majorleague-leading 20th. It came in his 45th game, making him the fastest Brewer to reach 20. Prince Fielder held the previous mark, hitting his 20th in his 58th game in 2007.
Yelich also became the fastest player in the majors to reach 20 since Josh Hamilton hit his 20th in his 44th game in 2012.
A two-out RBI double into the gap in right-center by Yasmani Grandal three batters later made it a 4-2 game.
The Phillies scored a run on three singles in the fourth against Anderson, who made way for pinch-hitter Jesús Aguilar in the bottom of the frame. He allowed six hits, didn’t issue a walk and struck out four over 83 pitches.
Matt Albers replaced Anderson but Jean Segura singled and Bryce Harper
doubled with one out to tie it, then in the sixth Philadelphia grabbed the lead back on a two-out RBI double by McCutchen off Freddy Peralta.
The Brewers wasted a great scoring opportunity in the bottom of the fifth, with Eickhoff having departed an inning earlier.
Yelich walked and Braun singled only to see Moustakas and Grandal follow with strikeouts. Then with Eric Thames at the plate, Braun broke for second and Yelich for home.
Catcher J.T. Realmuto threw down to second, and Segura quickly fired back home to easily cut down a sliding Yelich at home.
A Rhys Hoskins homer in the seventh off Peralta (2-2) left the Brewers in a 6-4 hole, and they managed only a single the rest of the way.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
HIURA IT IS: Keston Hiura can hit, but he showed that he can also make a nice defensive play. With the speedy McCutchen up to lead off the third, Hiura ranged to his left while in the shift, smothered his hot shot up the middle, spun and fired a one-hop strike to Eric Thames at first for the out.
CHUG-A-LUG: Manager Craig Counsell wasn’t in attendance for the Bucks’ Game 5 loss to the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Finals at Fiserv.Forum. But he did catch the clip of Yelich slamming a beer courtside, and he liked what he saw.
“When I saw him doing that, I was pretty sure he was going to play today,” Counsell said with a laugh. “That actually made me feel really good. I felt really good about that. I was like, ‘That means he’s in the lineup.’”
When it was suggested Yelich wasn’t quite at the level of Green Bay Packers tackle David Bakhtiari -- whom he was seated alongside -- Counsell was ready with an answer.
“Well, he isn’t in the professional beer-drinking league,” he said. “I think Bakhtiari might be. At least, he should be. That guy is good.”
LAWRIE UPDATE: President of baseball operations David Stearns said infielder Brett Lawrie continues to progress through baseball activities as he tries to re-start his career with the team that drafted him in 2008. He signed a minor-league deal in the spring with the Brewers.
“The next step for Brett will be fullscale running, sprinting, stopping, starting, cutting – all the things you have to do on the baseball field. The goal here is to get through that over the next couple of weeks. Once we get through that, then you can really begin to start about affiliate placement.
BOLLING INDUCTED: Frank Bolling, 87, was inducted into the Milwaukee Braves Wall of Honor at Miller Park earlier in the day. The former second baseman hit .250 with 41 homers and 226 runs batted in over 680 games with the Braves from 1961-’65.
Bolling is the 18th member to join the Wall of Honor, and he threw out the first pitch.
RECORD
This year: 29-23 Last year: 32-20
ATTENDANCE
Friday: 40,254
This year: 906,312 (33,567 avg.) Last year: 892,241 (33,045 avg.)