Milwaukee Brewers get milestones, but lose 10th in last 11
By Phil Watson
Jonathan Lucroy and Rickie Weeks reached milestones Saturday night at Miller Park, but the Milwaukee Brewers lost for the 10th time in 11 games and dropped back into a tie for the National League’s second wild card spot.
Right-hander Kyle Lohse was hit hard and the St. Louis Cardinals dumped the Brewers 5-3. The loss drops Milwaukee (74-68) four games behind the Cardinals (78-64) in the National League Central.
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St. Louis took control with a three-run fourth inning against Lohse (12-9). Jhonny Peralta grounded a single to left to start the inning and, after a groundout, scored on Kolten Wong’s double to left-center. Oscar Taveras followed with a home run to right field, his third of the year, to put St. Louis up 5-2.
The Cardinals got two in the top of the first on Matt Adams’ two-run homer to right-center, his 14th of the season, but the Brewers bounced back to tie the game in the bottom of the inning.
Scooter Gennett led off by reaching on an error by Adams at first base and Gerardo Parra doubled down the right-field line to put runners on second and third.
Ryan Braun, back in the lineup after a couple of days away on paternity leave, singled to left on a play that featured two errors by left fielder Matt Holliday—one for a missed catch and one for a wild throw.
Gennett and Parra scored and Braun ended up at third base.
The Brewers briefly took the lead when Braun was called safe at the plate after tagging up on Aramis Ramirez’s fly ball to left. But Cardinals manager Mike Matheny challenged the call, which was overturned, leaving the score knotted at 2-2.
Lucroy followed with a double to center—his 48th of the season, which leads the National League. But Khris Davis struck out to end the threat.
With 48 doubles, Lucroy broke a major-league record for most doubles in a season by a player whose primary position was catcher. The previous mark of 47 was set by Ivan Rodriguez of the Texas Rangers in 1996.
As was the case in their loss to the Cards on Thursday, the Brewers couldn’t capitalize when opportunities presented themselves. Milwaukee loaded the bases without a hit in the fourth on a walks to Lucroy and Jean Segura sandwiched around Lyle Overbay getting hit by a pitch.
With two outs, Milwaukee manager Ron Roenicke went with a pinch-hitter for Lohse, summoning rookie Matt Clark, who flew out to center to end the threat.
Gennett and Parra walked to lead off the bottom of the fifth, but Braun bounced into a double play and Ramirez struck out, squandering another chance.
The Brewers finally got another run across in the sixth against St. Louis right-hander Lance Lynn (15-8). Lucroy led off with a double, went to third on Davis’ groundout and scored when Overbay laced a double into the gap in left-center. Segura moved Overbay to third with a groundout and pinch-hitter Mark Reynolds grounded out to end the frame.
Davis doubled in the eighth, but was stranded when reliever Carlos Martinez fanned Overbay and Weeks laced a double to right in the ninth—his 1,000th hit as a Brewer—but Parra grounded out to end the game.
The Brewers stranded eight in all, going 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position.
Lohse surrendered five runs on four hits with two walks and five strikeouts in four innings. The bullpen pitched five scoreless frames—two by Marco Estrada, 1.2 by Jeremy Jeffress and one by Tom Gorzelanny. Will Smith came on to retire the final batter in the ninth.
Trevor Rosenthal worked the ninth to earn his 43rd save for the Cardinals.
Lucroy was 2-for-3 and now has 42 doubles as a catcher, three off Rodriguez’s mark of 45 in 1996. Lucroy has hit six doubles while playing first base and one as a designated hitter.
The Atlanta Braves tied the Brewers in the wild-card race by beating the Miami Marlins 4-3 in 10 innings Saturday night. The Pittsburgh Pirates, meanwhile, pulled to within a half-game of Atlanta and Milwaukee, beating the Chicago Cubs 5-3 in the completion of Friday’s suspended game before taking a 5-0 win in the regularly scheduled contest. The Marlins remained five games out.
The Brewers will try to salvage a split of the four-game series Sunday at 1:10 p.m. Jimmy Nelson (2-6, 4.14 ERA) takes the ball for Milwaukee against Cardinals right-hander Adam Wainwright (16-9, 2.69 ERA).