Misiorowski shows shaky control in first spring appearance but offense continues to shine
The Brewers took down the Cleveland Guardians in their fourth game of the spring Tuesday afternoon, winning 9-6 in Goodyear behind another strong offensive performance.
After putting up eight runs in a loss to the Mariners yesterday, the Brewers get things going early. Caleb Durbin started the game off with a walk, followed by a single from Jackson Chourio two batters later. With runners at first and second and two outs, Jake Bauers took Luis L. Ortiz deep to left for a quick 3-0 lead.
Unfortunately for the offense, that lead would be cut into in the bottom of the frame. Prospect Jacob Misiorowski got two outs to start the inning but showed shaky control as he walked the next three. With the bases loaded, Tyler Freeman hit a sharp grounder toward Jake Bauers, who was shaded into the hole between first and second base. He deflected the ball, which rolled into center and allowed a pair of runs to score to make it 3-2 after one.
The Brewers got three runs right back in the second inning, Andruw Monasterio, Brewer Hicklen, and Durbin hit three consecutive singles to load the bases. Shortstop prospect Cooper Pratt then drove all three of them in on his second double of the spring, putting Milwaukee up 6-2.
Chourio hit another single, this time an infield hit, and stole second with one out but the Brewers were unable to get another run across.
Bryan Hudson, Connor Thomas, Nick Merkel, Vinny Nittoli, Will Childers, and Jack Hostetler combined to keep the Guardians off the board for the next six innings after Misiorowski’s rough start. Meanwhile, Milwaukee tacked on runs in the fourth, sixth, and seventh.
The run in the fourth came after Pratt hit his third double of the spring, eventually coming around to score on a sac fly by Eric Haase. In the sixth, Pratt started things with a single — his third hit of the day — and then scored on a double by Blake Burke. The ninth run for Milwaukee’s offense came in the seventh when Jared Oliva hit a solo homer.
Facing a 9-2 deficit, the Guardians’ offense mounted a mini comeback. Ryan Sandberg loaded the bases with three walks before Tyler Woessner walked in a runner, but that was all Cleveland could muster in the eighth. In the ninth, Alexander Cornielle allowed a single, a walk, and a three-run homer to 2024 No. 1 overall pick Travis Bazzana, but he got out of the inning without allowing anything else.
Bright spots on the day include Pratt (3-for-4 with two doubles, three RBIs, and a run scored), Chourio (2-for-3 with two runs and a stolen base), and the homers from Bauers and Oliva. The pitching staff combined for 11 strikeouts but also walked 11 batters in the 9-6 win.
In terms of positional battles, Durbin spent the bulk of the day at 3B and went 1-for-3, Monasterio went 1-for-3 as the 2B, and Oliver Dunn started at DH with an 0-for-3 day. Brice Turang and Joey Ortiz didn’t make appearances.
The Crew is back in action on Wednesday afternoon in their first split-squad day of the spring. Grant Anderson starts for the Brewers on the road against former friend Corbin Burnes and the Diamondbacks while Tyler Alexander starts for Milwaukee at home against Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the Dodgers. Both games start at 2:10 p.m. with the Brewers-Dodgers game radio broadcasted via WTMJ.