“Brewers” is trending because Milwaukee pulled off what the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel called nothing less than its best and biggest win of the season: a three-run, ninth-inning rally against Dodgers closer Edwin Díaz to beat Los Angeles 5-4 at Dodger Stadium on August 13. The comeback — five singles in the ninth, capped by Jake Bauers’ two-out, two-strike hit — opened a four-game series between the top two teams in the National League. It also landed the same week ESPN’s power rankings moved the Brewers past the Dodgers into the No. 1 spot for the first time in nearly two months.
Key Takeaways
- Milwaukee scored three runs on five ninth-inning singles to beat the Dodgers 5-4 at Dodger Stadium on August 13.
- Jake Bauers delivered the go-ahead hit with two outs and two strikes after Dave Roberts pulled closer Edwin Díaz for Alex Vesia.
- ESPN's Week 20 power rankings moved the Brewers past the Dodgers into the No. 1 spot for the first time in nearly two months.
- Milwaukee did it shorthanded — Brice Turang, the team leader in runs and RBI, was scratched hours before first pitch with left knee pain.
Five singles, three runs, one stunned closer
Trailing 4-2 entering the ninth, the Brewers had to solve Edwin Díaz, the Dodgers closer who, according to the Journal Sentinel, has struggled since returning from the injured list in late July despite making $20 million this year.
It started ugly. Díaz struck out catcher William Contreras, dropping him to 0 for his last 19. Then the bottom of the order took over. Joey Ortiz sent a 1-1 four-seamer at 95.9 mph back up the middle for his second hit of the night. David Hamilton followed with a two-strike liner to center. Jackson Chourio worked a full count and poked a third consecutive single to right, cutting the deficit to 4-3.
Next came Garrett Mitchell, who, per the Journal Sentinel, had been 4 for 42 in August when he stepped in. He took an 0-1 breaking ball over the head of second baseman Tommy Edman to tie the game.
“Just trying to pass it on to the next guy,” Mitchell said afterward, according to the Journal Sentinel. “I had a bunch of really good, quality at-bats in front of me. It’s not really my job to do more than just keep the pressure on and keep rolling. Obviously there’s pressure on us, but the pressure is on them in that situation.”
Díaz got a second out, and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts called on left-hander Alex Vesia to face Bauers. The southern California native chased two fastballs to fall behind, then bounced a three-hopper through the right side to bring home the go-ahead run. “With two strikes, it was, ‘I have to put this ball in play’ and we’ll see what happens,” Bauers said, per the Journal Sentinel. “Luckily I got a slider and did just that.”
The slump that set the stage
The rally meant more because of what preceded it. The Journal Sentinel reported the Brewers arrived in Los Angeles fresh off a three-game sweep in San Diego, where they blew two leads in three days as the offense went quiet. The night before the Dodgers opener, Bauers stood at his locker at Petco Park and said the Milwaukee offense needed to “chill the you-know-what out.”
The numbers backed up the frustration. According to Covers.com’s pregame analysis, the Brewers had struck out at the fourth-highest rate against right-handed pitching in August while hitting just .212, and sat bottom-five in batting average, wOBA, OPS, and slugging against righties for the month. Oddsmakers made Los Angeles a -145 favorite behind Roki Sasaki, who Covers.com noted had posted an xFIP of 3.32 or lower in five straight starts while allowing just eight earned runs over that stretch.
That’s why the ninth inning felt like an identity reclaimed. “That’s Brewers baseball right there,” Mitchell told the Journal Sentinel. “Obviously, we haven’t done a great job with runners in scoring position as of late. We know that. Everyone knows that. I think to be down a couple runs there and have the bottom of the lineup turn it back over to the top, and kind of pass it from one guy to the next, it felt really good.”
A lineup held together with tape
Milwaukee did all this with a roster that has been scrambling. Hours before first pitch, the Journal Sentinel reported that second baseman Brice Turang — batting .268 with a .810 OPS and leading the team in runs and RBI — was scratched with left knee pain. An MRI didn’t reveal anything the club considers serious, and manager Pat Murphy called him day to day, though Turang is seeking a second opinion on the imaging.
Turang’s absence compounded an already thin infield. Rookie starting shortstop Cooper Pratt is on the 10-day injured list with a hamstring strain that, per ESPN, could sideline him until late August. Leadoff man Jackson Chourio is playing through a left thumb injury, according to the Journal Sentinel. ESPN’s power rankings noted the Brewers recently signed Jihwan Bae after the Mets released him from Triple-A, and even ran Andrew Vaughn out at third base in search of offense.
For the opener, Murphy improvised: Gary Sánchez at first base, Vaughn at third. “Vaughn at third, Gary at first is not ideal,” Murphy admitted, per the Journal Sentinel. “It doesn’t show up on the metrics as this is going to be a great defensive team out there. Gary’s a baseball player and his bat, how do we keep him out of there?”
Why this series is bigger than one game
The four-game set is a heavyweight matchup with real stakes. ESPN’s Week 20 power rankings placed the Brewers, leaders of the NL Central, at No. 1 — ending a Dodgers run at the top that dated back to Week 12.
Los Angeles has its own problems. ESPN reported that before sweeping the last-place Royals, the Dodgers had lost eight of nine and were just 14-18 since the start of July, ranking 21st in OPS and 23rd in ERA over that 32-game span. Roberts publicly challenged his players before the homestand: “We’re a wild-card team right now,” he said, per ESPN. “We’ve got to get going and play with urgency.”
The Dodgers may also be shorthanded. Covers.com reported Freddie Freeman left Wednesday’s game after falling down the dugout steps while trying to catch a pop-up, and his availability was in question for the opener.
Not everything went Milwaukee’s way, either. The Journal Sentinel reported that deadline acquisition Senzatela, inheriting two runners in the sixth, challenged pinch-hitter Max Muncy with a full-count, 100.1-mph fastball over the middle — and Muncy turned it around at 105.7 mph for a go-ahead three-run homer. Senzatela has now allowed five runs in 3⅔ innings since arriving from the Rockies. Contreras’ rough stretch extended to defense, too, as he muffed a play at the plate in the fifth on a throw from Chourio that had beaten Miguel Rojas.
What happens next
The series continues Friday night at Dodger Stadium at 10:10 p.m. EDT, with Milwaukee holding a 1-0 series lead. According to ESPN’s pregame report, the pitching matchup is Robert Gasser (3-4, 4.57 ERA) for the Brewers against Yoshinobu Yamamoto (11-7, 2.65 ERA, 0.89 WHIP) for the Dodgers, with Los Angeles listed as a -187 favorite and the season series tied 2-2.
The Brewers enter at 75-47, tops in the NL Central, while the Dodgers sit at 73-49 atop the NL West, per ESPN. Watch Bauers, who leads Milwaukee with 21 home runs, and Chourio, who is 10 for 36 with four homers over his last 10 games, against a Dodgers lineup led by Shohei Ohtani’s 53 extra-base hits. Whether Turang returns during the series remains open — the Journal Sentinel reported he hasn’t been ruled out — and how Murphy patches the infield against Yamamoto may decide whether Milwaukee can keep its grip on the No. 1 spot in baseball.
The NL’s top two are at least playing good baseball, which is more than the other league can say: our look at MLB’s strange playoff race explains how a sub-.500 team could still end up in October. And if you are already lining up the rest of the fall sports calendar, the NFL season kicks off Sept. 9.
Quick poll
Who is the best team in baseball right now?
For the record: ESPN's Week 20 power rankings moved Milwaukee to No. 1, ending a Dodgers run at the top that dated back to Week 12.
FAQ
Why are the Brewers trending today?
Milwaukee beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-4 on August 13 with a three-run rally in the ninth inning off closer Edwin Díaz, a comeback the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel called the team’s best win of the season. It came right after ESPN ranked the Brewers No. 1 in its MLB power rankings.
What was the final score of the Brewers vs. Dodgers game?
The Brewers won 5-4 at Dodger Stadium, per the Journal Sentinel. They scored three runs on five ninth-inning singles, with Jake Bauers delivering the go-ahead hit with two outs and two strikes.
Who do the Brewers play next and who is pitching?
The Brewers face the Dodgers again Friday at 10:10 p.m. EDT in game two of the four-game series, according to ESPN. Robert Gasser starts for Milwaukee against Yoshinobu Yamamoto for Los Angeles.
Is Brice Turang injured?
Yes — Turang sat out the series opener with left knee pain and is considered day to day, the Journal Sentinel reported. An MRI showed nothing the team is seriously worried about, but he is getting a second opinion and hasn’t been ruled out for the rest of the series.
