Milwaukee’s season ends in NLDS elimination as they lose to Atlanta, 5-4

It was “do or die” tonight in Atlanta for the Milwaukee Brewers. Unfortunately for Brewers’ nation, the season ended on this evening as the Brewers fell to the Braves 5-4.

Both teams were held scoreless through the first three innings of play. In the top of the fourth, the Brewers got on the board. Avisail Garcia led off the inning with a single. He would advance to second on a throwing error via a pick off attempt by Braves’ starter, Charlie Morton. Morton would follow the error with a walk to Luis Urias. Garcia came around to score when Omar Narvaez singled into the left-centerfield gap.

The single prompted a pitching change. The Braves replaced Morton with Jesse Chavez. Lorenzo Cain came through with a single to score Urias and put the Brewers up 2-0.

Atlanta came right back in the bottom half of the inning. Austin Riley opened the inning with a single to left. With two outs in the inning Brewers’ starter, Eric Lauer, issued a walked to Travis d’Arnaud, and followed that by hitting Guillermo Heredia to load the bases.

With that, Craig Counsell went to the bullpen for Hunter Strickland. The Braves countered by pinch hitting Eddie Rosario for Orlando Arcia who was going to pinch hit for Jesse Chavez. Rosario did his job. He singled and drove in both Riley and d’Arnaud.

Luis Urias did make a couple of outstanding plays in the inning. There was the outstanding reaction to catch the ball as it tipped off the catcher’s mitt of Omar Narvaez.

There was also the diving play to end the inning and keep the game at 2-3. Dansby Swanson smoked a ball that Urias was able to smother and get the lead runner at second.

Milwaukee took the lead back in the top of the fifth. Christian Yelich got things started with a single to right. Later, Rowdy Tellez went deep.

Atlanta did what good teams do. They answered right back. In the bottom of the fifth and one out in the inning, Ozzie Albies singled. That was followed by a walk to Austin Riley and Adam Duvall being hit by a pitch. Albies would score on a ground ball to Luis Urias by Jon Pederson. Urias would record the out at second. Riley would score from third when Travis d’Arnaud singled.

The game remained tied until the bottom of the eighth inning. With Josh Hader on the mound, and the previous two hitters completely befuddled, it looked like the Brewers’ reliever had things under control. Atlanta’s best hitter, Freddie Freeman, was next up, however. At this point in the game and this point in the year, Hader hung a slider. Freeman did not miss as his home run over the left-centerfield wall eventually resulted in the end of the game and the Milwaukee Brewers’ season.