Insane journey ends in four losses
Here’s what some Brewers players had to say after winning NL Central
Here’s what some Milwaukee Brewers players, manager Craig Counsell and owner Mark Attanasio had to say after winning the National League Central Division.
Tom Haudricourt, Todd Rosiak and Lou Saldivar, Wochit
LOS ANGELES – In terms of wins and losses, the Milwaukee Brewers haven’t handled the insignificant portion of their schedule very well.
Now they can show if it makes a difference when games really count starting Friday in the National League Divisional Series against Atlanta at American Family Field.
The Brewers were swept away from Dodger Stadium, losing for the third straight game on Sunday, this time by an unbalanced 10-3 score. Because San Francisco beat San Diego to clinch the NL West crown, the 106-winning Dodgers will play in the NL wild card home game Wednesday against St. Louis.
Milwaukee has lost its last four games to a 1-5 record on the last trip, which came after NL Central won over the New York Mets a week ago on Sunday. By not winning even two games, let alone 10 of their last 14 games, the Brewers failed to match the franchise’s record of 96 wins in one season.
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After building an 89-55 record with a three-game sweep in Cleveland from Sept. 10-12, the Brewers posted a 6-12 record to finish at 95-67. This slide started with an offensive team funk and ended with a trip that had all the intensity of the Milwaukee team in the early March games in the Cactus League.
Before St. Louis by 14 games on September 13, the Brewers finished with a five-game lead over the Cardinals.
“It means we won early. That’s what it means,” said second baseman Kolten Wong of how the club approached the last trip. “I think people tend to forget what our main goal is. It’s not to come here and try to win. It’s to try to prepare for the playoffs.
“We expect this club to go far. We really wanted to get out of here healthy. Don’t try to worry about doing too much, just make sure the guys are ready. You start your work and you’re getting ready for the Yes it wasn’t the best road trip but at the end of the day we had some healthy guys and that’s what you wanna do. ready to go. ”
Manager Craig Counsell has prioritized rest on results over the past week, including giving starters Brandon Woodruff and Freddy Peralta free time instead of throwing. In the five games lost to the Cardinals and Dodgers, the Brewers have surrendered a total of 36 points under the gaze of some of the top pitchers.
“It’s because we won the division with a week left in the season,” said Counsell. “Let’s not complain about a week where we had baseball games where we already knew we were going to the playoffs.”
The good news of the day for the Brewers was that they had their first earned points average champion, right-hander Corbin Burnes, who led the majors with a 2.43 ERA. Los Angeles starter Walker Buehler was fortunate enough to beat him with at least six white innings, but gave up a run in the fourth and walked away with a 2.47 ERA.
“The domination has never stopped,” Wong said of Burnes’ season. “He’s had the hiccups here and there, but for the most part he’s been so dominant and so impressive. For him being a young man and doing what he does, hats off to him. He’s had an amazing year. is the Cy Young (Award Winner) for me for sure. ”
In what was to be a paddock day for the Brewers, veteran left-hander Brett Anderson came first, throwing just two days off after a five-innings start in St. Louis. Anderson played one end, throwing just eight shots, and the reliever parade began.
The Brewers struggled to make contact with Buehler early on. Rowdy Tellez walked in with two strikeouts in the first, but Jace Peterson, Willy Adames and Avisaíl García were struck out. Luis Urías and Omar Narváez struck to open the second inning before Tyrone Taylor put in a two-hit throw into the left corner of the pitch for a brace.
Taylor was stuck in second place when Jackie Bradley Jr. fell while swinging. Reliever Jandel Gustave, who replaced Anderson after an inning, took a called-up strike to open the third, giving Buehler seven strikeouts of seven strikeouts.
Peterson called with a tapper in front of the plate and wide receiver Will Smith jumped up and pitched first, but his pitch carried first baseman Max Muncy’s glove arm into the way to base as Peterson entered. collided with him. Muncy’s ball and glove sailed and he went to the ground, holding his arm in obvious agony with what was later reported as a left elbow injury.
Home plate umpire Adam Hamari ruled Peterson was coming off the baseline and called him for interference. Muncy finally came out, holding his arm, and was replaced by Albert Pujols.
Playing his second game since coming off the injured roster with a knee injury, Tellez opened the Brewers fourth with a liner over right-hander Mookie Betts for a double. García followed with another – a shot from the opposite field in the right corner of the pitch that made it a 1-0 game.
Urías was hit with a throw, putting in two without an out, but the set fell through as Narváez’s second-half crisis continued with a strikeout, Taylor flew away and Bradley again retired at bat to keep his miserable year at home until the final day.
After Anderson came out, Gustave pitched two scoreless innings. Hunter Strickland threw in the fourth, allowing just one out for Corey Seager, before the game exploded against rookie Aaron Ashby in the fifth.
Ashby prepared for failure by throwing a pair of walks that allowed the Dodgers to charge the bases from an infield two-out from batter Matt Beaty. Ashby then walked in his third walk of the set to force into the tying point.
Seager called with a tapper on the right side and he edged Ashby out to the sack, the pitcher getting a late break and not handling Tellez’s flip properly as the go-ahead scored. Ashby then fell behind Trea Turner, who threw a 3-2 left pitch for his second grand slam of the series.
“He gave out a few free passes and got into a position with a really good hitter and then left a ball dead,” said Counsell. “I don’t see it as a pitch count thing. He got himself in trouble and that’s the result.”
It made it 6-1 and the Brewers took another run in the sixth before scoring twice in the eighth on RBI doubles from Tellez and batter Eduardo Escobar. Getting her third at bat after coming in as a pinch hitter in the fifth, Beaty hit a three-run late in the inning against Daniel Norris.
That left the Brewers on a plane to Milwaukee, but the miserable last week behind them and eagerly awaiting their clash with Atlanta.
“The playoffs are where the real baseball starts,” Wong said. “We all know that. You play 162 to get to this point. Getting ready, everyone is taking care of him and doing everything they can to prepare mentally and physically to go.
“It will be a battle. We know how good Atlanta is, we know how good they are going to come and they played good baseball. We have to prepare to go. As long as everyone is healthy, we J have confidence in our team. ”
SAVE
Globally: 95-67
Home: 45-36
A way: 50-31
FUTURE
Friday: National League Division Series Game 1 against Atlanta at American Family Field. Time: to be determined.