Brewers: Jonathan Lucroy’s bombs not enough in 11-6 loss
By Phil Watson
Jonathan Lucroy is showing signs of life at the plate, homering twice Tuesday night, but the Milwaukee Brewers couldn’t outslug the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field in an 11-6 loss.
Rookie Domingo Santana hit his second homer as a Brewer as well, but Michael Brantley went deep twice for Cleveland as starter Wily Peralta (4-8) and reliever Kyle Lohse were both hit hard.
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For Lucroy, he has three home runs in his last two games and is up to seven for the season. He was 3-for-4 with three RBI Tuesday and Ryan Braun, used as the designated hitter in the American League park, was 2-for-4 with a homer and two RBI.
But the rest of the Brewers mustered two hits, including Santana’s opposite field shot in the second inning.
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Peralta did not have his usual zip on Tuesday, with his fastball—normally in the 95 mph range and occasionally reaching 98—sitting in the 89-91 mph range.
“I feel fine,” Peralta told MLB.com. “There’s nothing wrong. I’m not hurting or nothing. I feel fine.”
He didn’t look fine, as evidenced by a second inning visit from manager Craig Counsell and trainer Dan Wright.
“My thought process is that maybe, possibly, a dead arm,” pitching coach Rick Kranitz said. “If he feels fine and the ball’s not coming out, that was my first though, that after his rehab [from an oblique injury that sidelined Peralta for two months] that’s what it is. He’s saying he’s fine. But certainly, there wasn’t much there.”
Peralta was charged with four runs—two earned—in 2.2 innings, allowing six hits with two walks and a strikeout.
Lohse provided little relief, allowing five runs on four hits with two walks and three strikeouts in 2.1 innings.
Lucroy hit the first of his homers off Indians starter Josh Tomlin (2-1) in the top of the first. But Cleveland (59-66) took the lead in the bottom of the inning on an RBI double by Carlos Santana and a run-scoring single from Lonnie Chisenhall.
Santana’s homer—his fourth of the season—tied the game in the top of the second, but the Indians got to Peralta twice more on an RBI double by Jason Kipnis and a single by Francisco Lindor that plated a run.
Both runs were unearned. Giovanny Urshela reached on a throwing error by shortstop Jean Segura and second baseman Scooter Gennett couldn’t catch a throw on a force attempt on a grounder by Jose Ramirez.
Back-to-back errors are seldom a good way to begin an inning.
Cleveland tacked on two more runs in the fourth to go up 6-2 when Brantley lined his first homer of the game to right-center off Lohse with a runner on.
It got out of hand in the fifth. Kipnis drove in a run with a single and Lindor doubled home two runs before Santana ended the inning by throwing out Lindor at third trying to stretch a triple.
Braun belted a two-run shot for the Brewers (53-73) in the top of the sixth and Lucroy blasted a two-run homer in the eighth.
Brantley’s second homer came off left-hander Will Smith in the eighth with a runner on.
Left-hander Cesar Jimenez worked two scoreless innings, allowing a hit and striking out two. Smith was charged with two runs on two hits in the inning he pitched, striking out one.
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Milwaukee will try to salvage a split of the brief, two-game set on Wednesday. Right-hander Jimmy Nelson (10-9, 3.60 ERA) faces right-hander Cody Anderson (2-3, 4.31).
It will be Nelson’s first look at the Indians in his career. He picked up a win in his last start Friday, allowing two runs on five hits with two walks and four strikeouts in 5.1 innings of a 10-3 win over the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park.
Anderson, a rookie who debuted in June for Cleveland, is making his second start against the Brewers. He allowed four runs on 10 hits with a strikeouts in just 2.2 innings at Miller Park on July 22, a game the Indians won 7-5.
He also had a no-decision his last time out, allowing six runs on five hits with a walk and two strikeouts in 2.2 innings of a 10-9 loss to the Minnesota Twins at Progressive Field on Aug. 7.
First pitch is set for 6:10 p.m. Central.
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