Lyles sharp, but edged in pitchers’ duel by Minor
Rangers hurler ends Brewers’ winning streak
Jordan Lyles was very good on Sunday afternoon.
But Mike Minor was better. Dominant, even, as the Texas Rangers left-hander scattered four hits over eight innings to beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 1-0, in the teams’ interleague finale at Miller Park.
Three of Milwaukee’s four hits were singles, and Minor also walked one while striking out 11 in handing the Brewers their sixth shutout loss of the season and first since July 4 at Cincinnati.
Texas scored its lone run off Lyles in the seventh, on a sacrifice fly. But the right-hander was strong in his seveninning outing, allowing three hits and four walks with nine strikeouts over 106 pitches.
“He was really good,” said Craig Counsell, whose team dropped to 10-1 this season in games when a starting pitcher went at least seven innings. “He threw, for most of the day, three pitches to both sides of the plate and excellent command.
“We had plenty of at-bats where guys just weren’t getting a pitch to hit.”
The starting pitchers carried the first six innings, with Lyles limiting the Rangers to two singles and two walks over that span and Minor holding the Brewers to one single and one walk over the same span.
Lyles had retired 11 batters in a row before walking Willie Calhoun to open the seventh. That free pass hurt, as Rougned Odor followed by lining a double off the glove of Yasmani Grandal at first.
After Lyles caught Delino DeShields looking, Isiah Kiner-Falefa drove in Calhoun with a sacrifice fly to right to break the scoreless tie. Lyles (7-8) finished his day – and a full seven innings – with his ninth strikeout in posting his first quality start for Milwaukee.
The Brewers got a pair of infield singles in the bottom of the frame from Braun and Manny Piña, but Trent Grisham grounded out to strand them.
After Alex Claudio pitched a scoreless eighth, Hernán Pérez doubled to left to give Milwaukee a runner in scoring position with nobody out and Christian Yelich coming to the plate as a pinchhitter.
But Minor won the matchup, striking Yelich out on a 92-mph fastball just out of the zone. Lorenzo Cain grounded out, Keston Hiura flew out and Minor was off the hook and done for the day after a dominating 103-pitch performance.
“Hernán’s double was huge, obviously, to start the inning,” Counsell said. “I thought we had to hit (Yelich) there just because the guys we were going to hit for weren’t guaranteed to get an at-bat after that.
“We got him in the spot we wanted. It just didn’t play.”
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Yelich getting closer: Yelich (back) was out of the starting lineup for the fifth consecutive game, but he could be back as soon as Tuesday if all goes according to plan. He did pinch hit, though, on Sunday.
“He’s feeling good. He passed a lot of tests today,” Counsell said. Prior to the game, Counsell said all signs were pointing to a return to the lineup for Yelich on Tuesday when the Brewers open a two-game interleague series with the Minnesota Twins.
On-base machine: Grisham recorded his second three-hit game Saturday in his eighth overall game in the major leagues. He’s just the fourth player in franchise to accomplish that feat, joining Steve Hovley (1969), Paul Molitor (1978) and Ryan Braun (2007).
“He’s an on-base machine,” said Keston Hiura, who’s played with Grisham at Class AA Biloxi, Class AAA San Antonio and now the Brewers. “Whether it’s getting a hit or walking, you know he’s going to give you a quality at-bat every time he’s at the plate.”
Run of success: Shortstop Orlando Arcia, who was out of the lineup for the second time in the last three games in favor of Hernán Pérez, hasn’t committed an error since June 18.
About time: Braun was 0 for 10 lifetime against Minor before collecting his first single in the fourth.
RECORD
This year: 62-57 Last year: 66-53
ATTENDANCE
Sunday: 44,411 (12th sellout)
This year: 2,122,481 (35,375 avg.) Last year: 2,084,577 (34,743 avg.)
COMING UP
Monday: Off day.
Tuesday: Brewers vs. Twins, 7:10 p.m. Milwaukee RHP Chase Anderson (5-2, 3.70) vs. Minnesota LHP Martin Pérez (8-5, 4.80). TV: FS Wisconsin. Radio: AM-620.