Third time isn’t the charm
Working a third straight game for the first time, Hader allows decisive HR
OAKLAND, Calif. – Josh Hader pitched for the third consecutive day Thursday for the first time in his majorleague career.
The experiment didn’t go well, as the left-hander allowed a two-run home run to Matt Chapman in the eighth inning of a deflating 5-3 loss to the Oakland A’s at Oakland Coliseum.
The blast was the second allowed in the series by Hader, with Matt Olson’s shot off him in the 10th inning Tuesday beating the Brewers, 3-2.
Hader bounced back by closing out the A’s with a 10-pitch save Wednesday, only to be called upon on again in the teams’ interleague finale.
“Like I’ve said before, Josh pitching is what we want. We’re always going to
find spots for him,” manager Craig Counsell said. “This was a day where the low pitch counts the previous two days, his workload the previous two days, was as low as we’ve seen in backto-back appearances.
“That’s why he felt good today and was able to go.”
After the A’s pulled to within 3-2 in the seventh on a Junior Guerra wild pitch, Hader opened his outing by walking Robbie Grossman.
That brought the all-star Chapman to the plate. He was 0 for 3 and 1 for his last 30 when he went down and got a low 95 mph fastball from Hader and drove it out to center to give Oakland its first lead.
“I just think the location wasn’t there today,” Hader said. “Got behind, walked the first batter and then made a mistake inside when I was trying to go away with Chapman and he made me pay for it.”
The homer was the 11th allowed by Hader in 521⁄3 innings compared to nine in 811⁄3 last year.
He stayed on for one more batter, getting Olson to ground out before exiting in favor of Jay Jackson, who allowed another run.
Hader (1-5) threw 16 pitches, leaving his availability for the Brewers’ big weekend series against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field up in in the air.
“We’re winning the game. That’s how it works,” Counsell said of using Hader again Thursday. “You’re trying to win the games. We’ve got a game that we could win, we put him in the game. That’s how it works.
“Any game you lose late, yeah, they hurt.”
Had Hader been able to navigate the eighth, Counsell said Freddy Peralta would have pitched the ninth.
Hader and Guerra weren’t solely to blame for the loss. The offense left 10 men on base and went 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position, squandering opportunities to break the game open in both the fourth and the seventh.
“Again, we’ve got to put more runs on the board,” Counsell said.
“We’re making it really hard on ourselves. The big innings aren’t happening.”
Ryan Braun’s two-out RBI single in the first gave the Brewers the early lead, only to see the A’s tie it in the third on a solo homer by Chad Pinder.
It was the lone mistake made in an otherwise terrific outing for Chase Anderson.
The six innings tied Anderson’s season high, which he originally established June 9 against Pittsburgh. He scattered two hits and three walks while striking out five in his 92-pitch outing.
It was the third solid start in as many games for the Brewers, who opened the series with five innings from fill-in Adrian Houser and got five more from trade acquisition Jordan Lyles in Wednesday’s victory.
Anderson also departed with the lead courtesy a fourth-inning RBI sacrifice fly from Trent Grisham, who was recalled from Class AAA San Antonio and made his major-league debut with a start in center field.
The advantage grew to 3-1 in the seventh when Yelich scored on a wild pitch.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Grisham’s glove: The Brewers projected Grisham as a centerfielder when they drafted him with the 15th pick in 2015, and there he was roaming center in place of Lorenzo Cain.
Counsell drew an interesting comparison when describing Grisham’s defensive skills.
“I think our report is he can play all three positions,” he said. “I don’t think we’re looking at Lorenzo Cain right now; that’s a pretty high target. But he can definitely play out there.
“I think Ben Gamel is kind of what we’re looking at defensively with the versatility and throwing arm. I think that he’s very similar in defense and baserunning.”
In reserve: In optioning utility man Tyler Saladino to San Antonio, the Brewers are functioning in the short term without a true backup shortstop. So, what if something happens to Orlando Arcia?
“It’ll be Travis (Shaw) or Moose,” Counsell said. “I don’t know that we’ll stay with this construction for longterm. But today, likely it would be Moose.”
The extent of Moustakas’ professional experience at shortstop? Eight games at rookie Idaho Falls in 2007, the year he was drafted.
Good to go: Counsell confirmed Thursday morning that Gio Gonzalez’s bullpen session came off as scheduled, meaning he will start Saturday against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.
Congratulations: Keston Hiura was named the Brewers’ player of the month for July after hitting .355 with six homers, 18 runs batted in and an OPS of 1.127. Anderson was named pitcher of the month after going 1-0 with a 2.90 earned run average and 24 strikeouts over six starts.
RECORD
This year: 57-53 Last year: 63-48
COMING UP
Friday: Brewers at Cubs, 1:20 p.m. Milwaukee RHP Zach Davies (8-4, 3.56) vs. Chicago LHP José Quintana (8-7, 4.47). TV: FS Wisconsin. Radio: AM-620.