Herrera, Davis homer off Duke to beat White Sox
By Phil Watson
One, two, three.
More from Milwaukee Brewers
- Milwaukee Brewers are making a bold bet with Jackson Chourio
- 5 Pitchers Milwaukee Brewers Should Trade For
- Milwaukee Brewers: 3 trade packages the New York Mets could make for Corbin Burnes
- This former player will eventually manage the Milwaukee Brewers
- Milwaukee Brewers: 3 trade packages the Baltimore Orioles could offer for Corbin Burnes
Ladies and gentlemen: The Milwaukee Brewers have an actual winning streak!
After blowing a six-run lead Monday at Miller Park to the Chicago White Sox, Elian Herrera and Khris Davis homered in the bottom of the eighth against former Brewers left-hander Zach Duke to power the Crew to a 10-7 victory and their second three-game winning streak of the season.
For Herrera, it was his second home run in as many days, his third of the season and just the fourth of his career.
But it was Davis’ blast that had the crowd buzzing.
Two batters after Herrera followed a walk to Martin Maldonado to give the Brewers a 9-7 lead, Davis came off the bench to hit for Jonathan Broxton and hit a mammoth 448-foot blast to left field off Duke (1-2) that caromed off Bernie Brewer’s slide.
That was Milwaukee’s second double-digit scoring output in three games and just its third of the season. The Brewers (12-21) hung a 12-spot on the Chicago Cubs on Saturday.
The night started with a reshuffled lineup. Gerardo Parra batted leadoff, with Ryan Braun moving into the No. 2 spot, Adam Lind batting third and Carlos Gomez taking over the cleanup spot.
“You have to find different ways to win,” manager Craig Counsell told MLB.com. “It’s not going to be the same game every night. We answered. We didn’t get down, we answered.”
The Brewers jumped on White Sox starter Jeff Samardzija quickly, scoring three runs in the first inning and adding two more in the second.
Parra led off the game with a single off the glove of second baseman Micah Johnson, stole second and went to third when Braun reached on an error by shortstop Alexei Ramirez. Lind’s fielder’s choice grounder scored Parra and Gomez followed with his second homer of the season to center field for a 3-0 lead.
In the second, Hector Gomez bounced a one-out single to left, moved up on a sacrifice by Wily Peralta and scored when Parra doubled to center. Braun then chased Parra home with a ground-ball single up the middle.
Herrera and Hector Gomez hit back-to-back doubles to lead off the fourth inning, giving Milwaukee a 6-0 lead.
But things went sideways for Peralta in the fifth. After needing only 46 pitches and not allowing a ball to leave the infield through the first four frames, Peralta threw 38 pitches to survive the fifth, allowing a two-run homer to Geovany Soto, his second of the year, as the White Sox (12-17) closed to within 6-2.
The Brewers got a run back in the bottom of the inning when Chicago right fielder Avisail Garcia’s throw to the infield on Carlos Gomez’s triple was wild, allowing the All-Star center fielder to score.
White Sox manager Robin Ventura challenged the tag play at the plate, but the call was upheld.
Will Smith came on to relieve Peralta to start the seventh, but was chased after allowing a two-run single to Adam Eaton. Jeremy Jeffress came on and gave up an RBI single to Jose Abreu that cut Milwaukee’s lead to 7-5.
Jonathan Broxton started the eighth and gave up RBI singles to Adam LaRoche and Eaton that tied the game, leaving the veteran set-up man with a 7.82 ERA. But he got his first win of the season thanks to the power show in the bottom of the eighth.
Francisco Rodriguez allowed a hit in the ninth while recording his seventh save of the campaign.
Peralta worked six innings, allowing two runs on six hits and a walk while striking out four. None of the three runs charged to Smith in the seventh was earned as they were set up by an error on second baseman Scooter Gennett, who dropped a throw from Smith that would have resulted in a force at second on Gordon Beckman’s ground ball.
Carlos Gomez, Herrera and Hector Gomez each went 2-for-4 while Parra was 2-for-5.
Live Feed
Reviewing the Brew
Carlos Gomez liked being back in the cleanup spot, his first time there since last July 7.
“I feel sexy hitting [cleanup],” Gomez said. “I go to the plate like, ‘I’m the man.’”
Right-hander Mike Fiers (1-4, 5.46 ERA) will make the start Tuesday night at 7:10 p.m. as the Brewers look for their fourth straight victory and their longest winning streak since a five-game run last Aug. 14-19.
The White Sox will counter with their ace, left-hander Chris Sale (2-1, 5.93).
Fiers has made one start against Chicago, working 7.1 shutout innings and getting a no-decision on June 24, 2012. Sale’s lone start against the Brewers came two days earlier, on June 22, 2012, when he pitched eight shutout innings and took a no-decision in a 1-0 Milwaukee victory.