Offense goes down swinging once again
CHICAGO - Changing venues did not help the Milwaukee Brewers snap out of their early-season hitting woes.
The offense struggled for a third consecutive game Monday night and it resulted in a third consecutive loss for the Brewers, who bowed to the Chicago Cubs, 5-3, at Wrigley Field.
The Brewers collected only four hits, giving them a measly 10 over the three losses, including two to the Minnesota Twins at home. Their three runs came on one swing, a home run by Omar Narváez.
The Brewers struck out 12 times, giving them a total of 48 through their first four games.
Much like the pitching duel Saturday night between the Brewers’ Corbin Burnes and Minnesota’s José Berríos, the hitters on both sides had no luck getting on base in the early going. Milwaukee starter Brett Anderson and Chicago’s Trevor Williams both put down the first nine hitters they faced, a string that ended in ugly fashion for Anderson in the fourth.
After Ian Happ became the game’s first base runner with a leadoff walk, Willson Contreras drove a cutter right down the middle out to center for a home run. Anderson retired the next two hitters but Javier Báez drove a 3-2 sinker out to right-center and David Bote followed by lining a 2-0 sinker out to left-center.
It was the first time in Anderson’s 13 years in the major leagues that he surrendered three home runs in the same inning, and just like that it was a 4-0 game.
Williams extended his game-opening string of retired batters to 12 before the left-handed-hitting Narváez beat the Cubs’ infield shift with a soft grounder down the third-base line for a base hit. Orlando Arcia flied out to center but pinch-hitter Daniel Vogelbach drew a walk and Kolten Wong was hit by a pitch to load the bases.
Keston Hiura, still looking for his first hit of the season, hit a sharp grounder right at third baseman Matt Duffy, who started a 5-4-3 double play that got Williams out of the jam and kept it at 4-0.
When Christian Yelich opened the Brewers’ seventh with a walk and Avisaíl García followed with a sharp single through the left side, that was all for Williams. Right-hander John Adam took over and retired Jackie Bradley Jr. on a sharp grounder to second, with Bote momentarily bobbling it to lose a chance for a double play.
Luis Urías struck out on a 2-2 curveball off the plate but Narváez got the Brewers back in the game by crushing a 1-0 fastball far out to right for a threerun homer that cut Chicago’s lead to 4-3. Orlando Arcia punched a hit through the right side but pinch-hitter Daniel Robertson struck out against lefty Andrew Chafin.
Devin Williams, brought along slowly in spring training after ending his rookie of the year season with a shoulder injury, made his first appearance of 2021 in the bottom of the inning and wasn’t sharp. He walked the first batter, Jake Marisnick, who then stole second base.
After Marisnick moved to third on Matt Duffy’s fly to right, former Brewers infielder Eric Sogard pulled a 2-2 changeup from Williams into the rightfield corner for an RBI triple. Thus, in his first outing of the season, Williams allowed the same number of earned runs – one – that he surrendered in 27 innings last season.
Chafin remained in the game for the Cubs in the eighth and struck out the side, putting down Wong, Hiura and Yelich, all swinging. It was the third strikeout of the game for Yelich, who has whiffed in nine of his 15 at-bats this season.