Dodgers even NLCS at 2 wins each with marathon thirteen inning win, 2-1 over Brewers

WP: Jose Urias (1-0); LP: Junior Guerra (0-1); Save: none; Homeruns: none

A disappointing Box Score

The Milwaukee Brewers wasted a fine pitching performance from their bullpen and lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers tonight 2-1 in thirteen innings. LA’s first run came in the first, and after Gio Gonzalez had to leave with an injury with none out in the second, the Milwaukee pen worked 11.2 innings, allowing just five hits, one run, five walks, and with seventeen strikeouts. Unfortunately, the LA pen was just as good, and the one run the Crew scored in the fifth was never enough.

The Dodgers scored against the Brewers’ initial out getter, Gonzalez, in the bottom of the first. Gio wasn’t sharp and battled his control, and walked Chris Taylor leading off the inning. An out later Gonzalez hit David Freese with the count 3-0, and after Manny Machado fouled out to Aguilar, Brian Dozier lined a base hit to left to put LA up 1-0.

Gonzalez had a comebacker from Yasiel Puig (leading off the second) go off of his glove for a single, and Gio twisted his ankle coming down from his stab at the ball. He inexplicably was allowed to throw another pitch, ball one to Austin Barnes, and it was obvious that he wasn’t capable of continuing, so Freddy Peralta came on to replace him.

Freddy showed rust, and then resilience. He completed the walk to Barnes, got a force at third on a sacrifice attempt from LA starter Rich Hill, then had a walk and two strikeouts to finish the inning. Peralta worked two more innings with a walk and four more K’s...quite a performance considering he hadn’t pitched in a game since the series in St. Louis in the second to last weekend of the regular season.

Hill shut out the Brewers on one hit and three walks through four innings, but once again the bottom of the order came through in the fifth. Orlando Arcia singled with one down, and Domingo Santana pinch hit for Freddy and lined a curveball from Hill into the gap in right center, scoring Lando to tie the game at one.

Milwaukee had lead-off base runners in the sixth (single by Ryan Braun), the seventh (double by Manny Pina), and eighth (infield single from Christian Yelich), but couldn’t plate any of them.

The Brewer bullpen also shut down the Dodgers, with Burnes getting two innings with three K’s, Soria a scoreless seventh, Hader a two hits allowed eighth with a couple of strikeouts, and Knebel a scoreless ninth despite a two out walk.

The main excitement in the early extra innings was a bizarre move by Machado in the bottom of the tenth inning. With one down he hit a routine grounder to Arcia at short, and the throw easily beat him to the bag. But Manny intentionally veered in towards Jesus Aguilar and kicked him in the ankle as he went past him. Zeus was understandably upset, and he and Machado were shouting at each other; the benches were cleared but no further blows were thrown. Perhaps Machado was upset about his fifth inning at bat against Burnes, when he asked for timeout and stepped out, but it wasn’t granted and he was called out on strikes. It will be interesting to see what the consequences (if any) will be for Machado going forward.

Guerra was a tough luck loser, going three perfect innings before allowing the two out hit to Cody Bellinger in his fourth inning of work that scored Machado from second.

Ryan Braun finished with three of the eight Milwaukee hits.

Tomorrow’s game five of the series has Wade Miley (0-0) going for Milwaukee against Clayton Kershaw (0-1) for the Dodgers. There will be at least one more game at Miller Park this season!