MIAMI – After a year-long break, the Milwaukee Brewers are back in the playoffs.
And emphatically.
The Brewers scored 12 in the second inning against two pitchers, riding the momentum of the second-largest single-frame performance in franchise history to an eventual 16-1 victory over the Miami Marlins at LoanDepot Park on Friday night.
Christian Yelich, who missed 12 of the last 13 games due to lower back pain, returned with a vengeance against his former club, homering twice, hitting three times, reaching base four times and scoring four runs.
Josh Donaldson also hit a home run and a triple, and every Brewers starter collected at least a hit and a run scored as Milwaukee’s magic number for winning the National League’s Central Division title fell to one.
With the Chicago Cubs hosting the Colorado Rockies on Saturday at 1:20 p.m. Central, when the Brewers take the field to face the Marlins at 3:10 p.m. they should have a pretty good idea whether they are already locked out Title.
“Just the way the team has reacted since we left LA – we’ve just changed. I don’t know how to describe it or say it,” manager Craig Counsell said, referring to the Brewers’ three-game drubbing of the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium from August 15-17.
Milwaukee was coming off a three-game sweep of the Chicago White Sox, was defeated by the Dodgers 14-3 and then beat the Texas Rangers to cap a road trip 6-3.
Since that win, the Brewers are the best in the major leagues at 23-9.
“We had a tough series in LA and things have really turned around since then,” Counsell continued. “The way we played and the trust these guys have in each other, the bond of this team right now, it’s a playoff team and we deserve to be there, like this team has in the last few played for six weeks.”
The Brewers then held a more subdued celebration, with key members of the front office and team boss Mark Attanasio toasting with champagne.
The hope for the team now is to pop the bottles sometime early Saturday evening.
The second inning was (almost) one for the records
Although they didn’t score, the Brewers set the tone with two walks in the first inning – both against opener JT Chargois.
Steven Okert then opened the second round by walking Willy Adames and not long after, the defeat was recorded.
Donaldson led off with a two-run home run to left, his third as a member of the Brewers.
After Brice Turang struck out, Blake Perkins followed with another walk to begin a streak of seven consecutive Milwaukee batters reaching base.
William Contreras hit a single and Carlos Santana hit a double, both driving in runs, then Mark Canha doubled two more. Sal Frelick hit a single in Canha and Adames hit a single for Frelick to third to bring Donaldson to the plate again.
He drove in Frelick with a groundout, then Turang hit a single in Adames, took second and scored on a Perkins double.
That turned the lineup around, and Yelich responded with a two-run home run to the opposite field – his first round-tripper since August 28 – extending Milwaukee’s lead to 12-0 before Contreras flied out to center, prompting mocking cheers the smaller amount.
The final tally: 15 batters at the plate, 12 runs, nine hits – one from each player in the lineup – and a partridge in a pear tree for the Brewers.
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Counsell said. “It was just one of those innings where everyone did something. Getting to the third reliever through the 11th batter was well done. They had a plan and when we had the third man in there, we obviously weren’t expecting an innings like that. “But we were in good shape and we really wanted to make it difficult for them.
“It was an easy game and the boys did their job.”
It was the seventh time Milwaukee scored 10 or more runs in an inning; the first time this has happened since June 28, 2021 (10 runs in the eighth inning against the Cubs); and for the first time since April 18, 2010, this was achieved on the road (10 in the first inning at the Nationals, with Craig Counsell hitting a grand slam).
The 12 runs represented the second-largest single-inning performance in franchise history; The Brewers scored 13 points in the fifth inning against the California Angels on July 8, 1990.
Low pressure excursion for Corbin Burnes
The pitching is perfectly aligned for the Brewers in their biggest series of the season, with Corbin Burnes on Friday, Brandon Woodruff on Saturday and Freddy Peralta on Sunday.
But thanks to a great second inning, Burnes was able to stave off a five-inning, low-pressure outing before Counsell pulled the plug.
Burnes (10-8) allowed two hits and two walks while striking out six over 97 pitches.
The five innings were the fewest for Burnes since June 19 – not a bad thing given what lies ahead.
“Since I’ve been with the Brewers, I think that’s the most we’ve hit in an inning,” Burnes said. “Several times I thought, ‘I don’t know if I need to throw baseballs in the cage – I didn’t know what to do, the inning was so long.’
“But it’s always great to score runs. Twelve runs, I didn’t know if that was possible, but we did it and obviously it makes the rest of the game pretty easy.”
Yelich did his part to ensure the next pitcher, Trevor Megill, had more than enough breathing room as he took the mound by hitting his second home run of the game – this time a three-run shot at the top of the sixth round went into the middle.
“You never really know the timing or what it’s going to be like when you haven’t seen any game action for a few weeks,” Yelich said. “I’ve been doing a lot of swings the last few days and just checking health. Swinged on the first pitch of the game tonight, which was pretty stupid and a pretty bad hit.”
“But you get the first one out of the way, move on and just try to string together good at-bats. The guys did a really good job tonight – especially in the second inning. We played really good baseball and had great at-bats. “The guys took what was available to them. Walks, going from first to third base, running the bases well and some big swings there.
“Really good performance from the boys tonight. I’m proud of them and hope we continue.”
With 16 runs, the Brewers surpassed their previous season high of 14 runs, set on August 3 against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Undoubtedly, this had to feel good for the Brewers, who were eliminated from the postseason in Milwaukee in the final week of the 2022 season when they lost three of four games to the Marlins.
Miami thwarted Milwaukee’s attempt to earn its 15th shutout of the season when Jon Berti brought Bryse Wilson to center to open the Marlins’ eighth.
The evening was capped off by Marlins catcher Jacob Stallings throwing two innings and then Rowdy Tellez making his mound debut in the ninth inning.
Tellez pitched a scoreless inning and even had a strikeout, capping a memorable night for the Brewers.
“Cy Young candidate now,” joked Tellez, who became the first position player in MLB history to finish a crucial game for the winning team. “When you go out in high leverage situations, you shut it down and lock it up.
“(Bench coach Pat Murphy) said if I escort someone, I owe them $50. So I said, ‘Vic (Caratini), sit on the corners and watch (Greg) Maddux work.'”
The last time Rowdy Tellez took the mound was his junior year of HS. It didn’t go well. Friday’s game was much, much better in a playoff-defining moment: pic.twitter.com/QoHY8JYgtn
— Todd Rosiak (@Todd_Rosiak) September 23, 2023
The day started with a win for the Cubs
Milwaukee knew long before it took the field that its shot at winning the Central would have to wait at least until Saturday after the Chicago Cubs defeated the Colorado Rockies 6-0 at Wrigley Field.
The game was broadcast on several televisions in the visitors’ clubhouse, but without much fanfare.
Not long after, Counsell spoke about what the weekend might have in store for both teams. The stakes for the Brewers were self-explanatory; After the Cubs’ win, the Marlins were half a game short of the third and final wild card spot in the Netherlands.
“This is a day you want – this is exactly the show you want to be in, period,” he said. “I think everyone wants to take part in games like this. These games do that for you more than anything else.”
The brewery schedule is just around the corner
Saturday – Brewers at Marlins, 3:10 p.m. Milwaukee RHP Brandon Woodruff (5-1, 1.89) vs. Miami LHP Jesús Luzardo (10-9, 3.68). TV: Bally Sports Wisconsin. Radio: AM-620.
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