LDN - Sports

Five-run rally carries Brewers past D-backs

[July 27, 2016] MILWAUKEE -- In more than a decade as the home of the Milwaukee Brewers, Miller Park has been known as a hitter's paradise, a launching pad for tape-measure home runs, especially on warm, humid summer nights.

Of course, sometimes, power isn't needed to win games.

The Brewers proved that Tuesday night, taking the lead for good when Scooter Gennett hit an eighth-inning, jam-shot single up the middle, breaking a tie and pushing the Brewers to a 9-4 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Milwaukee scored five times in the decisive rally.

"It's a crazy game," Gennett said. "Sometimes you can do everything right and fail. Sometimes you can get jammed by 97 (mph) and everything works out."

Gennett put Milwaukee ahead 4-3 with an RBI single in the sixth, but an error by left-hander Will Smith led to Arizona tying the score in the seventh. Paul Goldschmidt followed with a check-swing single that diving first baseman Chris Carter couldn't snag.

"Going into the eighth tied 4-4, I think we felt great about it," Arizona manager Chip Hale said. "We had a good part of the order coming up in the top of the ninth. We just need to get there."

It wasn't quite that easy.

Daniel Hudson (1-2) allowed three of his first four batters to reach base in the eighth, and Gennett made him pay with a two-run base hit up the middle that put the Brewers in front.

"When you get jammed like that, it's tough to see," Gennett said. "But when (shortstop Jean Segura) went to dive, I was crossing my fingers while I was running."

Arizona left-hander Zac Curtis entered but didn't fare much better. He struck out pinch hitter Andy Wilkins before walking Keon Broxton to load the bases. Kirk Nieuwenhuis drew another walk, driving in a run.

Jonathan Villar followed with a two-run single to left, breaking the game open.

"Daniel's got to do a better job," Hale said. "He knows that. I thought the ball was coming out of his hand better tonight. He had the swing-and-miss stuff at times. It's just the walks."

Diamondbacks starter Patrick Corbin allowed four runs, six hits and three walks in five innings. He struck out six.

"Throwing so many pitches in the first inning, he did an unbelievable job to get to the sixth," Hale said.

[to top of second column]

While he allowed up the hit to Goldschmidt that tied the game, Tyler Thornburg (4-4) kept the Brewers in it by striking out three over 1 1/3 innings.

"I thought his curveball was really good tonight," Counsell said. "He had it for strikes and had it down when he wanted it."

Milwaukee starter Matt Garza went six innings and allowed three runs, five hits and two walks with two strikeouts.

Garza recorded two quick outs in the first, but Segura extended the inning with a double up the middle. Goldschmidt followed with an RBI single, and Welington Castillo made it a 2-0 game with a ground-rule double to center.

Milwaukee answered with three in the bottom of the inning -- two of them on a single by Jake Elmore. The Brewers might have added more had Gennett not ended the inning trying to score on Broxton's single.

Garza allowed only one runner in the next two innings, but Arizona tied the score at 3 on Michael Bourn's fourth-inning RBI double.

"Getting out of the fourth and limiting the damage was big," Counsell said. "Then the next two innings were really good; Johnny Villar made a couple of nice plays to help him out and save him some runs."

NOTES: Diamondbacks 3B Jake Lamb (sore left hand) was out of the lineup and will be sidelined for at least the next few days. Manager Chip Hale said Lamb was hurt when Arizona hosted the Blue Jays last week. Though the injury is affecting his swing, Lamb will be available to pinch-hit, if necessary, and hopes to be back to full strength this weekend in Los Angeles. ... Arizona RHP Zack Greinke reported no issues after a 40-pitch bullpen session Tuesday. He is expected to pitch in a rookie-level Arizona League game Friday and could return to the Diamondbacks' rotation next week. ... OF David Peralta will continue his rehab assignment with Triple-A Reno and is expected to rejoin the Diamondbacks on Friday in Los Angeles. ... Even with 3B Will Middlebooks on the disabled list, Brewers manager Craig Counsell plans to use INF Hernan Perez at multiple spots, including right field, as the team wants to take advantage of Perez's versatility.

Back to top