Brewers: Comeback effort stranded in Miami
By Phil Watson
The Milwaukee Brewers can’t say they didn’t have chances to come back in a 6-4 loss to the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park Tuesday night.
But the Brewers (61-77) left 13 runners on base and were unable to pick up rookie right-hander Taylor Jungmann after a rare poor start.
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Jungmann (9-6) was knocked out in the fourth inning after giving up six early runs and Milwaukee left six runners stranded over the final five innings—two each in the fifth, seventh and eighth—as Miami (58-81) got two homers from catcher J.T. Realmuto—including an inside-the-parker in the fourth.
The Marlins got their first run in the bottom of the first. Dee Gordon singled, stole second and scored on a single by Martin Prado on a ball Jungmann deflected but couldn’t come up with.
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Domingo Santana gave Milwaukee a 2-1 lead in the second, homering to right field after Khris Davis led off the inning with a single and was forced on a grounder by Jason Rogers.
For Santana, it was his fifth home run since being called up by the Brewers and his seventh overall this season.
The big outfielder is hitting .300/.413/.640 in 50 at-bats for the Brewers with five home runs and 11 RBI and is 10-for-23 in his last seven games.
Realmuto tied it with the first of his two home runs in the second.
Justin Bour gave Miami a 3-2 lead with an RBI single in the bottom of the third and the floodgates opened against Jungmann in the fourth.
Realmuto led off with a drive to deep left-center field that Santana nearly came up with, but the ball caromed off a curved portion of the wall and bounced away, giving the catcher time to chug all the way around the bases for his ninth homer of the season.
Gordon doubled in a run later in the inning and stole his 50th base and was forced home on a walk to Bour with the bases loaded after left-hander Cesar Jimenez relieved Jungmann.
Jungmann was charged with all six runs on seven hits with two walks and three strikeouts in 3.2 innings.
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Jimenez walked three in 1.1 scoreless frames and allowed an inherited run to score. Kyle Lohse, Corey Knebel and Jeremy Jeffress each pitched a scoreless inning for the Brewers.
Milwaukee put a couple of runs up in the seventh inning. Ryan Braun led off with a single and advanced to second on a groundout, scoring when Rogers lined a single to right. After a walk to Luis Sardinas, Elian Herrera drove in a run with a groundball single up the middle.
Starter Adam Conley took a no-decision for Miami, lifted with one out in the fifth after throwing 99 pitches. Kyle Barraclough (2-0) worked 1.2 innings to get the win and A.J. Ramos got the final four outs for his 24th save.
Jean Segura and Braun each went 3-for-5, while Rogers, Santana and Herrera had two hits each for the Brewers.
The attendance was announced at 14,958, the smallest of the season for Miami, but Miami Herald sports writer Manny Navarro’s picture from the press box makes that figure … questionable. It’s possible the Brewers’ 13 men left on base might have rivaled the crowd size.
Was not kidding. This place is really empty tonight #MarlinsPark pic.twitter.com/Ix8pS48XbN
— Manny Navarro (@Manny_Navarro) September 8, 2015
Right-hander Ariel Pena (1-0, 6.00 ERA) will make his first major-league start Wednesday night at 6:10 p.m. for Milwaukee, facing right-hander Tom Koehler (8-13, 4.08).
Pena made his major-league debut in the nightcap of Saturday’s doubleheader in Cincinnati, working three innings after a lengthy rain delay and allowing two runs on two hits with a walk and two strikeouts while earning the win in the Brewers’ 7-3 victory.
Koehler is 0-2 in three starts and a relief appearance against Milwaukee, posting a 11.02 ERA and 2.143 WHIP in 16.1 innings with 11 strikeouts. He was hammered for seven runs on nine hits in 4.1 innings with four walks and four strikeouts in an 8-7 loss to the Brewers on Aug. 19 at Miller Park and has lost his last seven decisions, including going 0-6 in August with a 6.68 ERA.
He took a no-decision Friday against the New York Mets, allowing two runs on five hits in six innings with five walks and four strikeouts in a 6-5 Miami win.
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