Lauer pitches 6 no-hit innings as Brewers blank D-backs
MILWAUKEE – Eric Lauer pitched six innings of no-hit ball before getting removed from the game in the Milwaukee Brewers’ 3-0 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday night.
Jake Cousins and Peter Strzelecki worked the final three innings of the one-hit shutout.
Milwaukee’s no-hit bid provided at least some sense of drama to an otherwise meaningless game. The Brewers were eliminated from playoff contention Monday night when the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Houston Astros 3-0 t o clinch their first postseason berth since 2011.
Lauer (11-7) struck out seven, walked four and committed an error while throwing 97 pitches. Lauer’s highest pitch count of the season was 108, in a 2-1 loss at San Francisco on July 16.
Jake Cousins took over for Lauer at the start of the seventh and allowed Josh Rojas’ leadoff single to right center. Cousins retired the next three batters and pitched around a one-out walk in a scoreless eighth inning.
Strzelecki retired the side in order in the ninth to earn his first career save.
Milwaukee’s Luis Urías went 3 of 4 with a homer and an RBI double.
Garrett Mitchell also homered as Milwaukee gained a measure of revenge against Zac Gallen, who allowed only two hits and one walk over seven innings in a 5-1 victory over the Brewers exactly a month ago. That Sept. 4 outing marked Gallen’s sixth consecutive start in which he worked at least six innings without allowing a run, tying a major-league record.
This time, Gallen (12-4) struck out six but gave up five hits, three walks and three runs in five innings.
The Brewers failed to score in the first inning despite forcing Gallen to throw 36 pitches. But they wasted no time getting to him in the second inning, as Mitchell led off and sent Gallen’s first pitch over the right-field wall.
Urías added a solo shot to left center in the third inning. Urías’ 16th homer of the season extended his hitting streak to 14 games, a career high.