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WP: Miles Mikolas (1-0); LP: Zach Davies (0-1); Save: none; Home runs: StL - Miles Mikolas (1), Paul DeJong (3); Mil - Manny Pina (1), Lorenzo Cain (1), Eric Thames (1)
The Milwaukee Brewers suffered their first loss of the young season in their home opener this afternoon at Miller Park, falling to the St. Louis Cardinals 8-4. Brewer pitchers combined to allow thirteen hits to the Cardinals and the St. Louis bullpen closed the door after the Brewers pulled within four in the sixth inning.
The Brewers broke on top, fell behind, caught up, and then fell behind for good. The biggest blow of the game was a two out, two run homer from Cards’ starter Miles Mikolas that gave St. Louis the lead in the bottom of the fifth, a lead that they never relinquished.
Zach Davies started for the Brewers and was unable to recover from the ignominity of allowing a dinger to the opposing pitcher for his first major league hit. Davies couldn’t get out of the sixth, allowing three singles and a sacrifice fly to the four batters he faced. All of that had only given St. Louis a 5-2 lead, as Manny Pina had thrown out Tommy Pham attempting to steal after his leadoff hit (Manny Pineapple’s second caught stealing of the day).
Brandon Woodruff relieved and served up a three run bomb to Paul DeJong - the newly rich shortstop’s third of the young season - and suddenly it was 8-2, and the road back had become too long.
Milwaukee’s early lead came on a two out homer from Pina in the bottom of the second, a no-doubter into right center. After a two run third for the Redbirds off of Davies, Lorenzo Cain smacked the Brewers’ second homer, a high, long shot over the Crew bullpen, to tie things up at two.
Eric Thames’ two-run home run with two down in the sixth pulled the Brewers within four, but the Cardinal bullpen worked 3 1⁄3 scoreless innings, allowing just a two out double to Thames in the eighth and a one out walk to Arcia in the ninth.
Oliver Drake worked the final two innings for Milwaukee, shutting out the Cards on two hits and a walk.
The second game of the three game set is tomorrow night, starting at 6:40 pm. St. Louis (2-2) sends 22 year old right hander Jack Flaherty out for his first start of the season. Last year Flaherty went 0-2 with a 6.33 ERA over 21 1⁄3 innings with the major league team. Milwaukee Brewers (3-1) ace Chace Anderson (0-0, 0.00) gets his second start of the campaign.