Pitcher’s duel goes to Brewers in 3-1 win over Padres

WP: Jacob Barnes (1-0)
LP: Brandon Maurer (0-3)
SV: Corey Knebel (2)

HR: None

Box Score

Tonight’s game turned into a pitcher’s duel, and this time, the Brewers ended up on the good end of it.

The Brewers struck first in this game again. Eric Sogard led off the game with a walk, and Hernan Perez followed him with a single. After Jesus Aguilar struck out, Travis Shaw, back in the lineup after missing a few days with a finger injury, hit a single to center that scored Sogard and put the Brewers up 1-0.

It was a good thing that the Brewers got that first run there, because after that, this game turned into a pitcher’s duel. Jhoulys Chacin would retire the next 19 Brewers batters he faced. It wasn’t broken until the 7th inning, when Jett Bandy walked. Overall, Chacin retired 20 of the last 21 Brewers batters he saw, allowing just one run on two walks and two hits with eight strikeouts.

Meanwhile, Matt Garza countered with a good game of his own. In his first five innings, he allowed a total of three baserunners (single, walk, triple). Unfortunately, a bit of bad luck hit the Brewers in the sixth. After two great plays to stop hits by Jesus Aguilar, Wil Myers hit a single in the infield that Orlando Arcia couldn’t get to in time. On the next pitch, Yangervis Solarte hit a ball into center, Keon Broxton made a diving attempt to get it, but was just a little too far back and couldn’t get it. Myers scored and the game was tied at 1-1.

Overall, it was a good night for Matt Garza. In six innings pitched, he allowed just four hits and one walk, along with the one run. It was a bit of hard luck for him that the Padres scored that run, but even with that, can’t complain about the results.

The game went to the bullpens after that. Carlos Torres took the seventh inning, allowed a two-out single to Allen Cordoba but nothing else. Brad Hand kept the Brewers in check in the eight, allowing a single to pinch-hitter Jonathan Villar but nothing else. Wil Myers had another infield single in the eighth that hit off pitcher Jacob Barnes, but was stranded there as Barnes struck out Solarte to end the inning.

Padres closer Brandon Maurer came out for the ninth to try and keep it a tie-game. After inducing a ground-out from Aguilar, Travis Shaw came up with his second hit of the night, a double to left field. Domingo Santana followed it up with a sharply hit ball that bounced off Erick Aybar’s glove and into left field, but Shaw couldn’t score because he had to wait for the ball to drop. It didn’t matter much, as Jett Bandy followed that with another single, this one bringing in Shaw to give the Brewers a 2-1 lead. Keon Broxton also singled to load the bases, and Orlando Arcia drove in a run on a groundout that likely could have got Santana at home, but the Padres took the out at first instead. Pinch hitter Nick Franklin flew out to end the inning, and the Brewers had a 3-1 lead.

Corey Knebel took the ninth to try and close out the game. He allowed a walk to Austin Hedges, who took second on defensive indifference. However, that was all he allowed, getting a fly out from Erick Aybar, and strikeouts from Hunter Renfroe and Allen Cordoba to end the game.

With the win, as well as a Cardinals loss in 13 innings, the Brewers are currently in first place in the NL Central, as well as a season high five games over .500. They go for the series win tomorrow afternoon against the Padres. Zach Davies will face off against Jarred Cosart in the matinee. First pitch is at 2:40 pm, and it will be a radio broadcast only game with no TV available for the Brewers.