Brewers stay classy with series win in San Diego
Boy, that escalated quickly.
The Milwaukee Brewers battled through injuries and a difficult opponent to secure an impressive series win against the San Diego Padres. Going into the series the Brewers knew they’d be without Willy Adames due to his ongoing ankle injury, Freddy Peralta due to his recent shoulder injury, and Josh Hader due to a family emergency (best wishes from all of us here at GSPN to Hader and his family).
It’s only May, but this series featured the tense moments, close scores, and razor thin margins of the playoffs. Game 1 of the series against the Padres added another name to the injured list as Hunter Renfroe exited the game early with a hamstring injury. Renfroe appeared to injure himself scoring from first on a two-run double by Tyrone Taylor that staked Milwaukee to a 2-0 lead.
A 7th inning Trent Grisham bunt single tied the game, which would eventually reach extra innings. The Brewers left the bases loaded in the top of the 10th and a Jose Azocar walk-off single gave San Diego a 3-2 win.
The Brewers bounced back in Game 2, winning 4-1 thanks to a Mike Brosseau solo homer, a Tyrone Taylor three run homer, and solid pitching performances. Corbin Burnes allowed just a single run over six innings, which was followed up by three scoreless innings from Hoby Milner, Trevor Gott, and Devin Williams.
Game 3 was another nail-biter. In front of his uncle Andy Ashby, Aaron Ashby delivered yet another good outing, as he allowed a single unearned run with five strikeouts. Walks were a slight issue, but his devastating slider kept the Padres hitters off balance all game.
In the seventh inning Milwaukee took a lead they would not relinquish. The scoring started with a Rowdy Tellez RBI double that scored Luis Urías. Tyrone Taylor followed that up with a sac fly that scored Andrew McCutchen.
Scoreless relief work from Luis Perdomo, Brad Boxberger, and Devin Williams (in this third appearance in as many days) gave the Brewers a 2-1 win and a series win. Next up is a four game series in St. Louis against the division rival Cardinals.
Master Brewer Leaderboard
(The Master Brewer Leaderboard is a season long leaderboard tracking and ranking exceptional performances from Brewers players in the form of Master Brew Points 🍺, which at the end of the season will tally up to crown our Crewsing for a Brewsing Player of the Year.)
Adrian Houser 🍺
Among the dominant pitching within the Brewers organization it’s easy to forget how good Adrian Houser has been in 2022. Against the Padres, Houser’s line of six innings pitched, three hits, two walks, one run, and four strikeouts put Milwaukee in a position to win. The win was not to be, but Houser’s performance in the game and his 2.98 ERA in eight starts should not be overlooked.
Corbin Burnes 🍺
The sun rises, the sun sets, and Corbin Burnes makes a quality start. These are just a few of life’s inevitabilities. Burnes struck out five over six innings in Game 2 and allowed one measly run. Even when he isn’t at his dominating best, Burnes still manages to give his team a chance to win. Finding that level of remarkable consistency to pair with frequent moments dominance is how you win a Cy Young.
Aaron Ashby 🍺
In front of his uncle Andy (a former Padre), Aaron Ashby befuddled batters with his filthy slider. Ashby scattered four hits and three walks across five and two thirds innings and struck out five. His only run allowed was unearned and the performance lowered his season ERA to 2.91 in 34 innings.
Devin Williams 🍺
Devin Williams delivered some essential relief work this week. He pitched three consecutive games and didn’t allow a run. Williams secured a save in both victories and struck out four batters across the three games. According to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com, it was the first time in his career that Williams pitched in three straight days.
Tyrone Taylor 🍺
Tyrone Taylor’s play lately has locked him into a role as an everyday starter. Against the Padres Taylor went 3-for-9 with six RBI, a homer, a double, and one run scored. Without Taylor’s contribution the Brewers don’t win this series.
Leaderboard through 44 games
Rowdy Tellez: 🍺 x7
Corbin Burnes: 🍺 x5
Christian Yelich, Josh Hader, Willy Adames: 🍺 x4
Freddy Peralta, Eric Lauer, Hunter Renfroe, Devin Williams 🍺 x3
Brandon Woodruff, Kolten Wong, Jace Peterson, Andrew McCutchen, Luis Urías, Adrian Houser, Aaron Ashby: 🍺 x2
Trevor Gott, Keston Hiura, Tyrone Taylor: 🍺