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A second straight great start, this one by Chase Anderson, gave the Brewers a sweep of the brief two game set with the A's. Chase took a no-hitter into the fifth tonight, but a one out bleeder into right by pinch hitter Jake Smolinski broke this one up.
After a one out single by Jed Lowrie and a deep fly to center from Stephen Vogt in the top of the sixth, Craig Counsell replaced Anderson with Blaine Boyer. Boyer got the final out in the sixth and pitched a perfect seventh. Of his three batters, he induced three ground balls to Jonathon Villar at short, and Villar completed a nice day in the field with three good plays. He also turned a 6-3 double play that erased Smolinski in the 5th.
Anderson finished with 6.2 innings of 2 hit ball, with no walks and 4 strikeouts.
In a non-save situation, Will Smith pitched the ninth. He allowed a two out double to Billy Burns (the only extra base hit of the game for either team) but retired Lowrie on a fly to right to end the game.
Villar had a good night at the plate, too. He led of the game with a solid hit to left, stole second (number 22 for the league leader), and scored on a hit to left by Scooter Gennett. Villar ended the night 2 for 3 with an intentional walk.
Gennett had 3 RBI, with the second two coming on a bases loaded, two out opportunity in the fourth. The A's had intentionally walked Villar to get to Scoot, and his bat handle humpback liner into shallow right gave the Brewers some early breathing room.
The Brewers had all 4 runs on 8 singles in the first 3.2 innings off of Jesse Hahn, and no runs on one single the rest of the way off of 4 Oakland relievers. A night after scoring all 5 runs via the long ball, the Brewers resorted to some small ball to pull this one out.
No Khris Davis tonight, but we did see an inning of work from John Axford. As with all of the A's relievers tonight, he was very effective, retiring the final two hitters in the seventh and the first hitter in the eighth.
Tomorrow night, the Brewers (28-31) welcome the New York Mets (32-26) to Miller Park. Ace Jimmy Nelson (5-4) will face slugger Bartolo Colon (4-3, 3.27 ERA). Maybe Colon will steal a base tomorrow night.