Brewers emerge victorious from seven-homer barrage

Chourio, Haase highlight power-happy Sunday

Box Score

As if an extra-inning victory wasn’t enough, the Milwaukee Brewers outdid themselves with a nervous 8-7 win on Sunday afternoon.

The Brewers and Minnesota Twins combined for seven home runs, making for a hectic game and an even more nerve-wracking finish.

While much of the offense came from the long bomb, the first runs on the board came from a crucial defensive error. While Aaron Civale wasn’t quite dominant, his final line was hurt by an error from the usually sure-handed Brice Turang.

Civale had found himself in a bases-loaded situation, but with two outs, he nearly found his escape. A groundball to Brice Turang up the middle provided a chance to get out of the inning, but Willy Adames was too far to cover second base. Turang tried to force the play with an awkward throw, allowing two runners to score on an infield hit.

Throughout the first half of the game, it looked like that blow might prove decisive. The next inning, Eric Haase responded with the first of two home runs on the day, but Milwaukee still stared down a deficit. The Twins starter, Joe Ryan, was cruising outside of Haase’s solo home run.

The Twins immediately added to their advantage when Byron Buxton hit the first of his two homers.

While the Twins led 3-1, the Brewers hadn’t yet reached base besides Haase. The fifth inning proved to be a monumental shift in the game’s momentum when Rhys Hoskins led off with a single on a slider off the edge of the plate. Garrett Mitchell would reach on a bunt single to get two runners on for Jackson Chourio.

The young rookie has made significant improvements as the season has worn on, and he came through with another signature moment. In a two-strike count, Chourio pounced on a fastball down the middle for a two-run double. While Ryan had pitched an impressive game, the Brewers proved capable once more of mounting a comeback against tough pitchers.

Haase followed with a single to quickly stake a claim on the lead. The 4-3 lead proved only momentary, but it was another thrilling moment from Haase, who has had limited time in the majors this year. While he might not have spent much time with Milwaukee this year, he’s certainly made the most of it.

Civale’s difficult outing was cut short in the fifth inning when he led off the inning with a walk before surrendering another home run, this time to Trevor Larnach. The two-run shot gave the Twins the lead again as the teams exchanged volleys. Timeliness wasn’t on Civale’s side as he surrendered just four hits, but his four walks and two home runs allowed left him with five earned runs over 4 ¹⁄₃ innings.

The chaos continued in the fifth inning when Adames led off the inning with a double. Joey Ortiz singled and stole second base to get both runners in scoring position. While Ortiz was sliding into second base, his helmet popped off and hit him in the face, causing worry as the trainer had to come check on him for an injury. He was ultimately fine, but his effort was for naught as Garrett Mitchell flew out to end the inning.

Chourio remained one of the stars of the day when he made an impressive catch in the sixth inning in foul territory. Leaping into the side wall and into the stands, he snagged the ball to end the inning. He continued his momentous night with a leadoff home run in the following inning, tying the game at 5-5. Over the last 15 games, Chourio has a .821 OPS. Chourio’s hot streak has been both paramount to the Brewers’ performance and highly entertaining.

Jared Koenig, freshly reinstated from the injured list, pulled an escape act in the seventh inning. After a leadoff walk and single, he retired the next three batters to keep the game in this uncertain equilibrium. Neither team was effective at keeping the bases clean late, lending to the back-and-forth atmosphere.

Sal Frelick singled in the eighth inning to set up Rhys Hoskins’ big moment. While Hoskins hasn’t been hitting for average, his power has provided the Brewers with important runs lately. Hoskins launched one just over the left field wall to send the Brewers up 7-5.

While the Brewers seized the advantage, they did anything but securely close out the game. In the eighth inning, Elvis Peguero came in to relieve Jared Koenig. Before logging an out, Peguero loaded the bases with two singles and a walk. On the knife’s edge, Peguero then forced a fly out and struck out the final two batters to maintain the narrow lead. It was on a check swing on a ball in the dirt, leaving the Twins frustrated as Peguero excitedly hopped off the mound, pounding his chest.

Haase provided a necessary insurance run with his second solo home run of the afternoon, creating a sizeable 8-5 lead. The 432-foot bomb was a confident swing on the first pitch of the at-bat. With Trevor Megill available in the bullpen, it looked like the Brewers might wrap up the exciting game with a flourish.

Instead, the Twins nearly made the comeback with a frantic ninth inning. Megill left a hanging curve down the middle of the zone, primed for Buxton to launch his second ball into the stands as he cut the lead to 8-6.

Max Kepler followed with a double and advanced to third on a tag-up. Brooks Lee hit a soft grounder that allowed Kepler to score, even as the Brewers recorded the second out.

The Brewers needed to secure that one final out, and Megill came through with a strikeout swinging and a victorious roar. It was a fitting finish to the volatile match, giving the Brewers the two-game sweep. The Brewers entered the All-Star break in a bit of a slog, but they’ve emerged from the break with two important and thrilling wins.

The Brewers will be back in action tomorrow against the Chicago Cubs. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. with Tobias Myers expected to take on Javier Assad.