Following their explosive 20-run performance the previous night, the Brewers’ offense remained relentless against a struggling Reds pitching staff, scoring 13 runs in a 13-9 victory. The Brewers jumped out to an early lead as Jackson Chourio drew a walk to start the game, followed by Brice Turang launching his 19th home run of the season, a new personal best. The Brewers extended their advantage in the first inning when, after two outs, William Contreras walked and Garrett Mitchell crushed his 11th homer into the second deck, putting Milwaukee up 4-0 right away.
The Reds, however, showed more fight than the night before, making solid contact against Brewers starter Shane Drohan. Eugenio Suarez, after being denied a homer the previous night, connected on a long drive to left field to get Cincinnati on the board. The Reds charged back again in the third on a double from Elly De La Cruz and then exploded in the fourth inning. Suarez walked, JJ Bleday doubled, and Juan Brito — who entered the day with a .197 batting average — smashed a three-run homer on an 0-2 pitch to knot the game at 5-5.
Drohan, who struggled with his two-strike pitches despite initially commanding first-pitch strikes, was pulled after 3.2 innings with five runs allowed on five hits. The Brewers responded immediately in the bottom of the fourth with William Contreras launching his 17th home run of the year to retake an 8-5 lead after walks and singles set the stage.
The Brewers weren’t finished. In the fifth inning, they sent ten batters to the plate, starting with a single by Cooper Pratt — his third hit of the game. Four consecutive singles by Chourio, Turang, Bauers, and Yelich followed. After an intentional walk to Contreras loaded the bases, Garrett Mitchell doubled over the right fielder’s head for an RBI two-bagger. Mitchell came just a triple shy of hitting for the cycle and finished 4-for-5 with four RBIs for the game.
On the mound, the Brewers bullpen held the Reds scoreless for several innings with strong performances from Chad Patrick, DL Hall, and Antonio Senzatela. However, when manager Pat Murphy turned to struggling starter Kyle Harrison in the eighth inning, problems arose. Harrison’s fastball velocity reached 97 MPH, but his lack of command resulted in multiple hard-hit balls, including two 109 MPH hits. Additionally, several soft-contact hits fell in as Harrison faced four batters and all four reached base and eventually scored. Over his last 7.1 innings pitched, Harrison has allowed 23 hits and 17 runs, a steep decline.
Despite these ongoing difficulties, Murphy remains optimistic about Harrison’s future: “We’ll get this straight. This will happen. You’re going through a rough patch, we’ll get it straight,” he said. Due to Harrison’s troubles, Murphy had to deploy key relievers Aaron Ashby and Abner Uribe earlier than preferred to maintain the win, which cut the Brewers’ magic number for clinching the division to three. Looking ahead, Murphy announced Robert Gasser as the starter for Sunday’s series finale against the Reds.
Fan Take: This back-to-back offensive showcase from the Brewers reminds baseball fans how exciting and unpredictable the game can be when a potent lineup catches fire. With Milwaukee’s postseason fate increasingly in their hands, this series highlights the thrilling race for the division title and the grit needed to withstand pitching struggles while continuing to push forward.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
