Brewers waste two-homer night by Grandal, lose slugfest to Angels 11-8

The optimism surrounding Freddy Peralta coming off his dominant performance against Cincinnati in his last start was palpable. Unfortunately, the young phenom was roughed up by the Los Angles Angels, especially Tommy LaStella. His first inning woes got him again, but instead of walking a lot of batters, the Angels hit him well.

In the first inning, Mike Trout got the first of five singles in the inning. As the Brewers were shifting him to pull, Trout was able to get a single down the right field line. The Angels followed with four more singles by Justin Bour, Albert Pujols, Brian Goodwin, and Jonathan Lucroy which scored three runs. Tommy LaStella followed the five lightly hit singles with a bomb into the right field seats for a three run homer. Just like that, the Brewers were down 6-0 at the end of one inning.

Matt Harvey had a pretty easy go of it in the top of the first, but Milwaukee was able to chip away in the second. With two outs, Yasmani Grandal got what amounted to a rally started with a single. With the count 3-2 to Ben Gamel, Grandal was going on the pitch. Gamel lined that pitch into right field for a double. Because the slow footed Grandal was running on the pitch, he was able to score. Hernan Perez followed with a single to score Gamel. Lorenzo Cain just missed a home run and had to settle for an RBI double that scored Perez. After the top of two, the score was 6-3.

Mike Trout was taken out of the game prior to the fourth inning. The Brewers continued the comeback attempt in the fourth. Mike Moustakas walked. Yasmani Grandal then launched a bomb into the right field seats to make it 6-5. Going into the bottom of the fourth, it looked as if Peralta had settled down. Unfortunately he had to face LaStella again. A man who had never hit more than five home runs in a season, crushed his second homer of the night (third of the series) to straight away center field to make the score 7-5. Matt Albers had to finish the inning for the 22 year old who failed to get through four innings for the second of three outings this year.

In the top of the fifth, the struggling Travis Shaw drew a walk. Later in the inning, Mike Moustakas drove a missle just over the yellow line in right field to tie the ball game. Scorching hot, Yasmani Grandal then went back-to-back as he hit launched his second home run of the evening on a 3-0 pitch over the center fiield wall. That put the Brewers up 8-7.

The Brew Crew was unable maintain the lead for long. Andrelton Simmons led off the bottom of the fifth with a double down the left field line. Later in the inning Jonathan Lucroy knocked him in with an RBI single to tie the game once again. With that, Craig Counsell replaced Albers with Alex Claudio with the hope of getting LaStella out or to have him pinch-hit for. Angels manager, Brad Ausmus, let him hit. Claudio was able to finally get Babe Ruth...I mean Tommy LaStella out and end the inning.

The bottom of the seventh saw Alex Claudio walk Justin Bour, Claudio was replaced by Alex Wilson who gave up a single to Andrelton Simmons. A passed ball/wild pitch on the part of the battery that was Wilson and Grandal allowed the two runners to move to second and third with no one out. Albert Pujols could not get the runners home as he tapped out lightly. Counsell decided to walk the base loaded to set up the double play. Unfortunately, Wilson walked Lucroy which scored Bour. Wilson was able to pitch out of the trouble by inducing a ground ball to get the force out at home and striking out Zack Cosart. Nonetheless the Angels had the lead 9-8.

Jake Petricka took over the pitching for the Brewers in the bottom of the eighth. Petricka started the inning by walking Kole Calhoun. Calhoun advanced to second on a wild pitch. Bour drew a walk, and Simmons drove home Calhoun with a double. Albert Pujols drove home another run with a sacrifice fly that could have had even more disastrous results. LoCain made a fantastic diving catch to save a run.

Going into the ninth, the Angels led 11-8. Unfortunately, that is how it ended resulting in the Brewers’ third loss in four games. The Brewers will look to avoid a sweep tomorrow...sorry I mean today. The game will be televised on Fox Sports Wisconsin and heard on WTMJ radio. First pitch is scheduled for 9:07 CST. Brandon Woodruff will take the hill against Felix Pena.