Padres decimate Brewers, 13-3

The Brewers’ scant offensive production could not keep up with the big bats of the Padres, or their own defensive missteps, woeful pitching performances, and (hopefully) minor injuries.

A few big defensive miscues allowed the Dads to hit around to score 4 runs. Brett Anderson didn’t have the control you’ll see from him on his better days. Tommy Pham opened the inning with a single to left. Next was, to Anderson’s credit, what could have easily been a double-play ground ball by Jurickson Profar. Instead, Travis Shaw committed a baffling throwing error that ended with the ball in right field rather than in a 5-4-3 double play.

The inning got no less chaotic from there. Eric Hosmer hit a sac fly to Jackie Bradley Junior in deep center. JBJ threw an absolute bullet that unfortunately brought Manny Piña to the line to be frighteningly rammed by Tommy Pham, trying to beat the throw at the plate. Manny remained in the game for the remainder of the inning but exited later in the game with a shoulder injury.

From there, Victor Caratini was hit by a pitch to advance Profar to second. Jorge Mateo then ripped a triple to right to clear the bases. Brett Anderson finally induced another groundball out, which unfortunately also scored Jorge Mateo from third. Clayton Andrews was brought in to stop the bleeding. He did strike out two to end the inning, but only after walking a batter and throwing a wild pitch to advance a runner.

Brett Anderson came back in the second and regained some control in the second and third innings. Jackie Bradley Jr. made a highlight-reel catch off of a Victor Caratini flyball in the second. In the fourth, Eric Yardley had the inning we wanted to see Brett Anderson open the game with, inducing 3 groundouts. It would be the only time the Padres would go three up and three down in the game.

A very disappointing moment for reliever Bobby Wahl happened in the fifth. Lane Grindle and Bill Schroeder were hardly done talking about how amazing it was to see him off of the IL and throwing in the upper 90s when Wahl had to exit the game with right side discomfort. Wahl faced and walked one batter before being replaced by Quinten Torres-Costa. Torres-Costa had a very rough inning, hitting two batters, walking a batter, and allowing a home run before ending a three-run fifth inning. Hoby Milner put up a decent defensive sixth to regain some control for the Brewers, putting up two strikeouts and forcing a groundout.

By the bottom of the sixth, the Brewers had two hits, including a light grounder by Daniel Vogelbach in the second and a Keston Hiura double off a bullet to left in the fourth. They opened up the sixth with back-to-back hits - a Brice Turang single and Dylan Cozens double. JBJ then grounded out to score Turang and send Cozens to third. A Payton Henry single to center scored Cozens before Jacob Nottingham grounded into a forceout to end the inning.

The Padres’ offensive seventh inning quickly snuffed out hopes for the Brewers to rally back from their 7-2 deficit. Jake Cousins allowed two home runs, including one grand slam for CJ Abrams, two walks, and a double before Luke Barker came in to turn the inning around with one out. Barker eventually ended the inning, but not before giving up a triple, a run-scoring single, and a walk. Between Cousins and Barker, the Brewers needed 58 pitches to get out of the inning. Zach Vennaro uneventfully put up a 0 in the Padre half of the 8th inning.

Bright spots today were few and far between: Keston Hiura got a double and a stolen bag. The Brewers rallied a little bit in the fourth. Brice Turang made a nice defensive play at shortstop. JBJ made some masterful plates in centerfield. Pablo Reyes crushed HR to left in the seventh. Ryan Braun and Robin Yount made appearances at American Family Field.

It was one of those days, Brewers fans. The Crew will return to action tomorrow, against the Dodgers, 3:05 CT at Camelback Ranch.