Brewers can’t take advantage of scoring opportunities in 3-1 loss to Cubs

The Brewers left 10 men on base and went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position

Box Score

On Monday night, the Brewers put themselves in position several times to score. However, the team struggled to come through. Meanwhile, the Cubs slowly built up a lead and held on to it. The end result was a 3-1 loss.

It didn’t take long for the Brewers to put together their first scoring opportunity. With one out in the first, William Contreras doubled to put the first runner in scoring position. They added another runner with a Willy Adames walk, but Sal Frelick grounded out to end the first.

Tobias Myers started well enough, allowing just a walk in his first two innings of work. That allowed the Brewers to set up another scoring opportunity in the third inning. With two outs, three straight walks by Contreras, Christian Yelich, and Adames loaded the bases. Unfortunately, for the second straight time, Frelick grounded out to end the inning.

In the third, the Cubs started chipping away at Myers. Miguel Amaya led off the bottom of the inning with a single, and a balk got him to second. Two outs later, Michael Busch singled to bring in Amaya. Busch stole second, but Myers got Seiya Suzuki to strike out to end the inning.

It was a similar story in the fourth for the Brewers. Back-to-back walks from Rhys Hoskins and Joey Ortiz put two runners on base. The Cubs took out Javier Assad and brought in Drew Smyly there. Garrett Mitchell singled to load the bases. Brice Turang followed that up with a groundout to first, and the Cubs went home to prevent Hoskins from scoring. Contreras then grounded out, and the Brewers once again left multiple runners on base.

Myers ended up hurting his own case in the bottom of the fourth. After Mike Tauchman singled with one out, Dansby Swanson grounded out to Tobias Myers. However, Myers erred on the throw and Swanson reached safely, with Tauchman moving to third. He then walked Amaya to load the bases, and then threw a wild pitch that let Tauchman score. He got Pete Crow-Armstrong to strike out, but the Cubs now had a 2-0 lead. It was an unearned run, but one that Myers let happen.

After a quiet fifth inning, the Brewers had another scoring opportunity in the top of the sixth. This time, it was a two-out double from Joey Ortiz. He remained there as Mitchell struck out. Meanwhile, the Cubs added another run, this time on an Ian Happ leadoff home run. After a couple more batters, Tobias Myers day came to an end. He got through 5 ¹⁄₃ innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits and two walks. He did strike out six in the game.

Hoby Milner came in to finish the sixth with a runner on first, but a quick double play ended the inning. The seventh went by with the Brewers striking out three times, and Milner worked around a couple of baserunners in the bottom of the inning for a scoreless frame. The Brewers got their one run in the top of the eighth as Adames hit a leadoff home run, and the deficit was down to 3-1.

Milner got two more outs in the eighth and then came out after a Swanson single, letting Joel Payamps get the final out of the inning.

The Brewers had one more chance to score in the top of the ninth inning. A one-out double from Mitchell put a runner in scoring position, and Mitchell moved up to third on a Turang groundout. Contreras had a chance to tie the game but grounded out for the final out.

The Brewers matched the Cubs in baserunners, with each team recording 11. The Brewers had five hits and six walks, while the Cubs had eight hits and three walks. Adames led the day reaching base three times (1-for-2, two walks). Mitchell was the lone Brewer with a multi-hit game, going 2-for-4. Contreras and Ortiz also each reached base twice. However, the Brewers went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position, leaving 10 men on base. That included leaving a runner in scoring position in five of their nine innings.

The two teams will play again tomorrow night, with Colin Rea facing Jameson Taillon. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m.