Brewers blow late lead but ‘walk-off’ Mets 4-3 in 10 innings

WP: Jeremy Jeffress (4-0); LP Robert Gsellman (4-1): ; Save: none; Homeruns: NYM - Amed Rosario (3), Michael Conforto (5); Mil - Travis Shaw (13)

Whew - a happy Box Score

The Milwaukee Brewers (32-20) lost a 3-2 ninth inning lead to the New York Mets (25-22) - with two down and nobody on - but came back to win 4-3 on a two out bases loaded walk in the bottom of the tenth.

The Brewers won a game that saw them collect six hits in the second and third innings off of Mets’ ace Noah Syndergaard but not produce any offense in innings one and four through eight. Their only baserunner in that stretch reached on an error.

Milwaukee’s first run came on a second inning lead-off homer just over the centerfield wall by Travis Shaw. Shaw’s thirteenth dinger came on a fastball and a quick, short stroke from the Mayor. Two more singles surrounded a double play, ending the inning with a 1-0 Brewer lead.

Junior Guerra worked six good innings, but allowed solo homers in the third and fourth innings to Amed Rosario and Michael Conforto. Over-all, Juni G allowed five hits with no walks and just three strikeouts - fanning Syndergaard twice.

The Mets tied it in the top of the third on Rosario’s homer, but Milwaukee scored twice off of Syndergaard in the bottom of the third when Lorenzo Cain singled with one down, stole second, and scored on a base hit up the middle by Christian Yelich. Yelich also stole second and scored one out later on a base hit by Shaw. That 3-1 lead was halved by Conforto’s homerun in the top of the fourth.

Josh Hader worked his magic with a scoreless seventh and eighth, walking one and striking out four, including striking out the side in the eighth.

Corey Knebel retired his first two in the ninth but ran into trouble - and some good at bats from the Mets - by walking the next two. That allowed newly acquired Jose Bautista to pull a hanging curveball into left to plate Conforto, tying the game. Knebel then walked another, and Craig Counsell went to Jeremy Jeffress for a little more JJ voodoo - and Jeffress stranded three more with a fielder’s choice groundout to short.

The Brewers watched a bottom of the ninth lead-off double by Shaw get wasted with a poor at bat by Domingo Santana and a base-running error by Shaw. Santana saw six pitches in an attempt to move Shaw over and swung at none. After getting ahead 3-1 he took two strikes to end his at bat. The Mets intentionally walked ninth inning defensive replacement Ryan Braun (well, it was a double switch when Jeffress came in, with Braun taking over at first) to set up a double play, and they got one. It just wasn’t your conventional play...Manny Pina hit one on the screws for a liner to left. Unfortunately, Shaw took off on contact and was easily doubled off when the ball carried to Brandon Nimmo for an easy catch.

The Mets flirted with runs against Jeffress in the top of the tenth. With one down, Asdrubal Cabrera singled sharply into right between Braun and Sogard, but tried to stretch it into two. A perfect throw by Santana left the Mets base-runner-less with two down. Flores golfed a low inside curveball to the fence in left to end the inning. Jeffress, though, earned his fourth win without a loss when the Mets duplicated (more or less) the Brewers’ ninth inning pitching melt down.

With one out in the bottom of the tenth, Eric Sogard (who just arrived back today from AAA Colorado Springs) singled to left off of Robert Gsellman, breaking his 0 for eternity batting streak...at least at the major league level. Cain drove one deep to center that was caught on the track for the second out. The Mets went with lefty Jerry Blevins to face Yelich, and his liner to right was played conservatively into a single by Jay Bruce, sending Sogard to third.

Blevins was removed in favor of AJ Ramos, who perhaps should have warmed up before he came in. He walked pinch hitter Hernan Perez to load the bases on four pitches, and as the Mets had no more lefties in the pen he stayed on to face Travis Shaw. Ramos fell behind Shaw 2-0 and then put one on the outside corner for a strike. His next two pitches weren’t remotely close to being strikes - in fact ball four skipped in front of home plate all the way back to the backstop. Sogard trotted home with the winning run, and Shaw had his third RBI of the night, the easy way.

The four game set is now tied at one apiece, and tomorrow’s game will start at 3:10. The Mets will go with Jason Vargas, who comes in at 1-3 with a 9.87 ERA. Not good, but the Brewers are next to last in the NL in OPS against left handed pitching. Tomorrow would be a good time to start working on that. Chase Anderson (4-3, 3.86) draws the start for Milwaukee. The Cubs won today, and Pittsburgh topped the Cardinals, so the Brewers lead the Pirates by 3, Chicago by 3.5, and St. Louis by 4.