Brewers 3, Marlins 6: LOL

W: Morris, 8-1

L: Rodriguez, 4-5

S: Cishek, 34

HR: McGehee (4), Ozuna (21)

Fangraphs WPA Box Score (87% in the 8th, LOL)

You could hardly write a script for a collapse game that was more fitting than this ballgame tonight. The Brewers battled back to a tie in the 7th and then loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the 8th, looking to break out of a 3 week slump that has threatened to ruin the season. They failed to score and then blew the game in the top of the 9th (to Casey McGehee no less), losing their 16th game in their past 19 tries.

The Brewers went down early tonight by giving up 2 runs in the top of the 3rd but got them right back in the bottom half. Scooter Gennett and Jonathan Lucroy hit back-to-back 1 out singles and Aramis Ramirez drove the first run in with a double to left-center. Next, Lucroy managed to score on a weak infield groundout by Gerardo Parra, who started in place of the injured Braun.

Matt Garza had a weird start tonight. He only went 4 innings due to a high pitch count in his second start back from an injury, but struck out 7 while giving up 6 hits. Only 1 run was earned, but the error was on Garza anyways (yet another of his awful throws from the mound). Mark Reynolds pinch hit for him in a failed rally in the bottom of the 4th. Jeremy Jeffress came on and cruised through the 5th, including a strikeout of Giancarlo Stanton, but gave up a run in the 6th on an RBI Garrett Jones double.

Will Smith tried to hold the Marlins to 3 in the 7th but gave up a lead off baserunner on a ground ball to first base. The umps initially called Christian Yelich out at first, but replay revealed that Yelich beat Lyle Overbay to the bag. Smith then got a strikeout and turned the ball over to Brandon Kintzler, who struck out Stanton. With 2 outs, however, Casey McGehee singled and Kintzler couldn't get Marcell Ozuna to chase a slider out of the zone on a full count. Zach Duke came on to face Garrett Jones, who was pulled for veteran righty Jeff Baker. Zach Duke struck him out, giving the Brewers a rare 3 pitcher, 3 strikeout inning.

In the bottom half of the 7th Scooter Gennett dumped a 1-out double down the left field line. Lucroy struck out on a hittable splitter, but Aramis Ramirez knocked a 2-out RBI single up the middle to tie the game at 3 for his second RBI of the game and second RBI of September.

Jonathan Broxton pitched a clean 8th, capped off by an impressive diving, spinning play by Jean Segura (2-2, BB) to throw out Jordany Valdespin. Khris Davis kept building the momentum with a leadoff hit against reliever Brian Morris to lead off the bottom of the 8th. Lyle Overbay followed that up with a walk, and Segura placed a perfect bunt down the left side in a clear sacrifice attempt and reached on an error (he may have beat it out regardless).

With the bases loaded and no one out, Rickie Weeks chopped a 1-1 pitch towards Casey McGehee. The Marlins third basemen easily shoveled it home to get out Davis, who had broken back to 3rd base on the swing. Hector Gomez came on to pinch run for Lyle Overbay at 3rd base. Gomez sent the first pitch foul to right, then swung and missed, and with 2 strikes hacked another ground ball right to McGehee who came home to force out the other Gomez. Gennett flew out on the first pitch to right. During the at-bat, Bill Schroeder summed up the situation well by saying, "Need [Morris] to throw one to the backstop here."

K-Rod got 2 outs on 6 pitches in the 9th but then walked Giancarlo Stanton. Then Casey McGehee did something he has done 3 other times in 610 plate appearances-- he hit a home run. For an encore, Rodriguez gave up another 2-out homer to Marcell Ozuna.

To the soundtrack of an empty Miller Park except for one very loud fan just tearing into the staff and players that could be heard through the TV microphone, the Brewers put on 2 runners but the rally fizzled and Steve Cishek closed out a 6-3 victory for the Marlins. The Brewers fall to 74-71 and are back in action again tomorrow night at 7:00 PM at Miller Park.