Back-to-Back-to-Back Home Runs set tone in 8-4 Brewers win

WP: Jhoulys Chacín (11-4)
LP: Brett Kennedy (0-1)

HR: Jesus Aguilar (28), Travis Shaw (23), Eric Thames (16), Orlando Arcia (3), Christian Yelich (18), Hunter Renfroe (11)

Box Score

Tonight’s game started very similar to last night. Fortunately for the Brewers, it finished on a better note.

Brett Kennedy started the game for the Padres, making his major league debut. He recorded his first out against Christian Yelich on a groundout. After that, the Brewers started taking advantage. The next seven batters all recorded a hit. Lorenzo Cain and Mike Moustakas each singled. After that, Jesus Aguilar, Travis Shaw, and Eric Thames all took advantage, each hitting a home run. That staked the Brewers to a 5-0 lead. Erik Kratz and Orlando Arcia each followed with singles to keep the offense going, and Chacín hit a sacrifice bunt to put them in scoring position. Unfortunately, Christian Yelich couldn’t take advantage and ended the inning with a strikeout.

The Brewers tacked on another run in the second, when Cain and Aguilar singled and Travis Shaw hit a sacrifice fly to increase the lead to 6-0. That was more than enough to support Chacín tonight. He started very strong, recording outs to 12 of the first 13 batters that he faced. It started to fall apart in the fifth, as the Padres got a run across with some small ball, using two singles, a walk, and a double play to get Austin Hedges in scoring position and bring him in. The Brewers got the run back in the bottom of the inning, when Orlando Arcia hit a solo home run to increase the Brewers lead to 7-1.

Chacín’s day finished in the sixth inning after a rough sixth. Eric Hosmer singled, then Hunter Renfroe homered to close the Brewers lead to 7-3. Chacín finished out the inning, and that was it for him for the day. He finished with six innings pitched and three runs allowed, along with six hits and one walk with three strikeouts.

Christian Yelich got another run back in the sixth, hitting a solo home run to increase the lead back to 8-3. Joakim Soria came in to pitch the seventh, and ended up allowing an unearned run in his inning of work. Cory Spangenberg reached on an error by Travis Shaw, then Manuel Margot drove in Spangenberg to cut the Brewers lead to 8-4. That’s as far as the Padres would get tonight. Jeremy Jeffress worked around a leadoff single for a scoreless eighth inning with two strikeouts, and Corey Knebel worked around a single and a walk in the ninth to get two strikeouts, pitch a scoreless ninth and end the game.

It was the home runs that got the job done for the Brewers tonight, as seven of their eight runs came as a result of a home run. Every starter in the lineup got a hit, lead by Orlando Arcia’s 3-for-4 night. Lorenzo Cain, Mike Moustakas, Jesus Aguilar, and Travis Shaw also had two hits each. The one negative tonight was that no Brewers batter drew a walk, but with fourteen hits, they didn’t need any.

With the Brewers back on the winning path tonight, they go for the series win and a winning homestand tomorrow afternoon. It’s Junior Guerra back on the mound to face Padres pitcher Robbie Erlin. First pitch is at 1:10 pm.