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WP: Will Smith (1-0) | LP: Hector Neris (1-3) | SV: Jeremy Jeffress (15)
HR: Jonathan Villar (5), Domingo Santana (4), Tommy Joseph (4), Cesar Hernandez (1)
Junior Guerra didn't have his best stuff, but the Brewers made sure it wouldn't cost them this game.
The Brewers wasted no time getting on the board, taking a 1-0 lead on a leadoff home run from Jonathan Villar. The lead wouldn't last long, though. Tommy Joseph led off the bottom of the second with a home run to tie the game at 1-1. Two batters later, after a Tyler Goeddel triple, Cesar Hernandez hit one out to give the Phillies a 3-1 lead.
In the fourth, small ball aided the Brewers as a Domingo Santana hit, a Kirk Nieuwenhuis walk, a Guerra sacrifice bunt, and a Villar single closed the gap to 3-2. Then, in the fifth, Jonathan Lucroy led off with a triple and Chris Carter drove him in with a sacrifice fly to tie the game at 3-3.
The game would stay at 3-3 until the top of the eighth inning. With Colton Murray in to pitch, Domingo Santana hit a solo home run to lead off the eighth and give the Brewers a 4-3 lead. They added onto it in the ninth, when Scooter Gennett drove in Aaron Hill and Lucroy to make it 6-3.
It was a rough day for Junior Guerra on the mound. All three runs were allowed on two home runs in the second inning. Guerra also committed two errors on pickoff throws, though neither ended up hurting the Brewers. He did put up a quality start with three runs allowed in six innings, walking two and striking out three.
Meanwhile, it was business as usual in the bullpen. Will Smith, Tyler Thornburg, and Jeremy Jeffress each had a scoreless inning, with only one hit allowed between the three of them. With Smith healthy again, we're getting that shutdown combination that we were looking forward to at the start of the season.
Jonathan Lucroy and Jonathan Villar both had three hit days for the Brewers. Domingo Santana added in a two-hit day. While the offense left 10 runners on base, going 3-for-10 with runners in scoring position was enough.
The Brewers go for the series win tomorrow afternoon. Wily Peralta faces Aaron Nola on the final game of the four-game series. First pitch is at 12:35 pm.