White Sox top Brewers, 8-3

WP: Luis Avilan (2-0); LP: Chase Anderson (4-4); Save: none; Home runs: Mil - Ryan Braun (6); CWS - none

I wouldn’t recommend this Box Score

The Brewers proved tonight that they aren’t going win games when they don’t hit well, pitch well, or field well. Well, duh. The Brewers’ heretofore impeccable pen allowed an inherited runner to score, then four of their own. The White Sox pen had 5 ²⁄₃ hitless, scoreless innings.

Milwaukee (36-22) took a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the third against the Chicago White Sox (17-37) tonight, but it coulda/shoulda been more. They left five on base over those three innings as White Sox starter Hector Santiago allowed four hits and four walks, and then had two more baserunners against Santiago in the fourth with a single and a walk. Those were stranded, too, and the Brewers were shut out the rest of the way.

Chase Anderson still isn’t missing very many bats, and after two scoreless he didn’t miss any to start the bottom of the third. Chicago went double, single, error (Shaw, on a very poor throw), single to tie things up at three.

Anderson worked through the fourth (with a very nice running catch on the track by Lorenzo Cain on a ball that Domingo Santana never saw) and fifth, when Manny Pina gunned down another prospective base stealer. He retired the first two in the sixth, but Jose Abreu pulled in his hands and dumped it into left center for a single. Craig Counsell went lefty/lefty with Boone Logan, and Logan walked Daniel Palka on five pitches. Matt Albers came on and gave up a liner into left that Christian Yelich got caught in between on. The ball skipped between Yelich’s legs for what was ruled a triple, scoring two. A single pushed the lead to 6-3.

Chase ended with 5 ²⁄₃ innings, five hits, four runs (three earned), with one walk and one strikeout.

Dan Jennings had the bottom of the seventh and continued the poor relief work. A one out double and two out single drove in one, and another double put runners at second and third. Palka’s ground single into the shift brought in another, but second baseman Hernan Perez made a diving stop and a good throw to the plate to easily retire Abreu.

Jacob Barnes had a very nice bottom of the eighth, getting the Chisox in order with two strikeouts.

Milwaukee broke on top on a walk, fielder’s choice, and two run homerun to right-center by Ryan Braun in the first. They loaded the bases on three two out walks in the second with no runs, and scored their final run in the third on a one out bunt single from Travis Shaw, a hustle double by Santana (grounder into left-center), and a sac fly from Perez.

After Chris Volstad relieved Santiago in the fourth with two on and one out, the Brewers went hitless the rest of the way. A lead-off walk in the fifth (Shaw). a two out walk in the eighth (Pina), and a one out walk to Yelich in the ninth were the only base runners they produced. In all, Milwaukee drew eight walks for the game. Chicago out-hit the Brewers 11-5,

Hitting with RISP played a big part in the outcome tonight, as the Brewers left ten on base and Chicago only two. Chicago had two baserunners thrown out, a caught stealing, and hit into a double play to keep that number low. An oddity: the Brewers grounded into six fielder’s choices and no double plays.

Tomorrow afternoon’s 1:10 pm contest has Jhoulys Chacin (3-1, 3.69) starting for Milwaukee against veteran righty James Shields (1-5, 4.54).