In what could be a future playoff matchup, the Milwaukee Brewers take the rubber match behind two home runs from Blake Perkins and Jackson Chourio to beat the Philadelphia Phillies 4-0.
Facing the reigning National League Player of the Month? No problem. Chourio opened the home half of the first inning with a lead-off home run to continue his hot week at the plate. With that long ball, it was not only his second career lead-off home run, but he now has five home runs and 10 RBIs over his last seven
games. With that, he brings his season batting average up to .322 and his OPS to an outstanding .942 mark.
It was a battle of two potential Cy Young candidates at American Family Field as Kyle Harrison and Cristopher Sánchez faced off against each other. All eyes were on Harrison as he looked to bounce back after his short-lived outing in Las Vegas last Monday. He looked more like himself as he worked six scoreless frames while striking out three and only allowing three hits, with no walks allowed for the cherry on top.
Now that the first series of the homestand is over, the pitching staff no doubt figured out the recipe for success against the top third of the lineup against the Phillies. Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner, and Bryce Harper combined to go six-for-35 with 14 strikeouts, two walks, one RBI, and no extra-base hits. In fact, Schwarber had five of the six hits for the top of the lineup.
In our game discussion, we referenced the success Blake Perkins has had against Sánchez over his career, noting that he’s been perfect with a handful of RBIs. Though in seasons past he’s been a bit more consistent at the plate than he has this season, it carried into today’s series finale in a powerful way.
Entering today’s game with a .111 batting average on the season, Perkins unleashed a three-run home run in the bottom of the fourth inning to extend the crew’s lead to 4-0. He’d later smash a double to make it a two-hit performance on the day with three RBIs. Perkins has quietly been playing better over the last week, as he has four hits with four RBIs in nine at-bats.
Overall on the day, the Brewers finished with 10 hits, making it six out of their last eight games with at least 10 hits as a team. Furthermore, the Crew was able to limit the strikeouts against a strikeout-heavy pitcher with only five on the day.
The Brewers will enjoy a much-needed off day tomorrow before they’re back in action on Tuesday to take on the Cleveland Guardians in a three-game series.
