The Brewers couldn’t quite manage to claw their way back from an early 5-0 deficit, dropping the first game of today’s doubleheader 6-4.
After Matthew Boyd retired the top of the Brewers order in the first, Chad Patrick came out for his first start since early July. The top of Chicago’s order hit him pretty hard; Michael Busch lined out to Brandon Lockridge and Ian Happ crushed another liner off the wall in right-center for a double. Patrick then bounced the second pitch to the next hitter, Seiya
Suzuki, allowing Happ to take third. Suzuki eventually worked a walk, bringing up Pete Crow-Armstrong with runners at the corners and one out.
Patrick got to a 1-2 count before inducing a weak grounder to Caleb Durbin, who was playing in on the grass at third base. Happ, clearly running on contact, was halfway to home by the time Durbin fielded the ball, so catcher William Contreras tagged him out for the second out. Up next was trade deadline acquisition Willi Castro, who bounced a ground ball to Andrew Vaughn at first.
Vaughn stayed back on the ball instead of coming in to field it on the second hop and thus was forced to attempt the throw to first from the outfield grass. The throw was low and behind Patrick, who was sprinting over to cover first, and the ball skipped all the way to Contreras at home. Vaughn’s error loaded the bases for rookie Owen Caissie, who shot a line drive single into right field to bring home two runs. Dansby Swanson popped out harmlessly behind the pitchers’ mound, but the damage was done — Chicago led 2-0 going into the top of the second.
Milwaukee loaded the bases in the second inning thanks to Boyd walking Vaughn, Isaac Collins, and Brandon Lockridge (after a great at-bat). After Lockridge was Joey Ortiz, who popped out in foul territory to first baseman Michael Busch to end the frame.
Patrick had a much smoother bottom of the second. Matt Shaw singled and was thrown out stealing in between groundouts from Michael Busch and Reese McGuire. The third, however, was a different story. Patrick walked Seiya Suzuki with one out before Pete Crow-Armstrong laced a little flare down the left field line for a double. The next batter up, Willi Castro, turned on a slider on the inside corner and crushed it for a three-run home run.
The Crew got a run back in the top of the fourth courtesy of a Christian Yelich home run, his 26th of the year:
After Patrick cruised through the bottom of the fourth, the Brewers finally mounted a rally. Lockridge led off with a double to right field. Ortiz flied out for the first out, but the next batter up was Frelick, who hit a hard line drive into right-center for a base hit — scoring Lockridge to cut the lead to 5-2.
Despite a Contreras single that advanced Frelick to second, Boyd retired both Durbin and Christian Yelich to end the frame. Patrick had settled in at this point, retiring the heart of the Cubs’ lineup (Happ, Suzuki, and Crow-Armstrong) in order to escape the fifth unscathed.
Milwaukee got another two runs back in the top of the sixth. Andrew Vaughn led off with a ground rule double into the Wrigley Field ivy. Isaac Collins struck out, but the scalding-hot Brice Turang hit a single to center field to score Vaughn.
After Blake Perkins (pinch-hitting for Lockridge) struck out, Joey Ortiz worked a four pitch walk. Frelick, the next hitter up, ripped another single into right field to score Turang.
Unfortunately, that would be the last run the Brewers would manage in this game. Caissie hit a solo home run off of Shelby Miller to make it 6-4, which would end up being the final score. Durbin and Frelick both reached base in the ninth off of Cubs closer Daniel Palencia, but Contreras grounded into a double play to end the game.
The silver lining to today’s loss is that the Brewers will have another chance to notch a league-leading 80th win later tonight. The second game of today’s doubleheader will pit Brandon Woodruff against Jameson Taillon, making his return from a right calf strain suffered on July 1st.
