Yelich, Braun homer in ninth to get Brewers past Cardinals

[April 04, 2018]  Christian Yelich and Ryan Braun cracked back-to-back homers with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning Tuesday night, capping the Milwaukee Brewers' rally from a 4-0 deficit in a 5-4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals at Miller Park in Milwaukee.

Yelich pounded a 2-2 slider off Dominic Leone (0-1) over the wall in right-center for his first homer with the Brewers after his acquisition in January from Miami. Braun followed with a no-doubt shot into the Milwaukee bullpen in left-center on the next pitch, lifting the Brewers to a 4-1 start.

The comeback made a winner of reliever Dan Jennings (1-0), who pitched a clean ninth inning. Milwaukee relievers backed up a poor outing by ace Chase Anderson by throwing five shutout innings, giving the offense a chance to piece together its response.

Anderson lasted just four innings, permitting eight hits and four runs, walking none and whiffing five. Anderson found trouble from the first pitch.

Dexter Fowler walloped a 90 mph fastball into the St. Louis bullpen in right-center for his first homer. Tommy Pham followed with his first homer as well to right-center, and the Cardinals (2-3) led 2-0 three pitches into the game.

It was the first time St. Louis cracked back-to-back homers to start a road game in 60 years. Curt Flood and Gene Freese did the honors against Los Angeles Dodgers lefthander Sandy Koufax.

 

Cardinals left fielder Marcell Ozuna (23) hits a 2-run homer in the third inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

In the third, St. Louis' new cleanup hitter lived up to his billing. Anderson made a mistake with a fastball over the plate to Marcell Ozuna, and it was drilled 479 feet to the last row of the seats in left-center for Ozuna's first Cardinals' homer.

Milwaukee started chipping away at the deficit in the fifth, when Yelich's two-out RBI single off the glove of diving shortstop Paul DeJong scored Orlando Arcia.

The Brewers made their move in the eighth. Yelich doubled and scored one out later on a Travis Shaw single. Jonathan Villar cut the margin to a run when he grounded a two-out single to right that plated Shaw.

St. Louis starter Jack Flaherty was in line for his first major league win until the bullpen coughed it up. Flaherty fanned a career-high nine in five innings, scattering six hits and allowing one run while issuing a walk.

--Field Level Media

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