Offense has another big night in 8-5 win over Braves

Brewers record 16 hits with four different three-hit games

Box Score

After two straight series where the offense went quiet following a win in game one, the Brewers kept the bats going in this one. They combined for 16 hits in a balanced day for the offense. That was more than enough to take down the Braves 8-5 on Wednesday night.

The game didn’t start out well for the Brewers. Despite two singles to put a runner in scoring position, the Brewers went scoreless in the first inning. The impact of that was felt immediately. Freddy Peralta allowed back-to-back doubles to Jorge Soler and Austin Riley, giving them a 1-0 lead after two batters. Two productive outs after that moved Riley up and scored him on a sacrifice fly from Matt Olson.

The second inning didn’t go much better for the offense. Blake Perkins singled and stole second to put a runner in scoring position with one out. Andrew Monasterio drew a walk, and Jackson Chourio singled to load the bases. However, they were left loaded when Rhys Hoskins lined out to end the inning.

In the third, the Brewers got a bit of help to get their first run. Gary Sánchez led off the inning with a walk. Two outs later, Joey Ortiz doubled down the right-field line. It didn’t look like enough to score Sánchez at first, but Soler misplayed the ball in the corner and that was enough for Sánchez to score. The Brewers had their first run, which went down as unearned.

After a quiet fourth, the Brewers’ offense had another opportunity in the fifth. Leadoff singles from Hoskins and Sánchez put runners at first and third. Two strikeouts had the situation looking rough, but Ortiz had his second hit of the day with two outs to tie the game at 2-2. Right after that, Perkins singled to bring in another run, and the Brewers had a 3-2 lead. That also chased Chris Sale out of the game, who left after just 4 ²⁄₃ innings pitched. Though Sale did strike out 10, the Brewers got him for three runs (two earned), nine hits, and two walks.

Unfortunately, the Braves responded right away. Whit Merrifield singled with one out. Jorge Soler struck out next, and manager Brian Snitker was angry at the strike zone and let home plate umpire Brian Walsh know it. That led to Snitker’s ejection. Right after that, Riley hit a two-run home run to give the Braves the lead back at 4-3. Peralta finished up the fifth to end his day. He also had a rough day against the Braves, allowing four runs in five innings. He also allowed eight hits and two walks, adding six strikeouts.

However, the Brewers offense would not go down. Against Pierce Johnson of the Braves, the Brewers started the sixth with back-to-back walks by Chourio and Hoskins. Chourio also added on a steal there. Sánchez followed that up with a single to tie the game at 4-4. A.J. Minter came in to replace Johnson. It seemed to work for the Braves initially. William Contreras grounded into an out with Sánchez erased at second. Next up, Willy Adames hit a ground ball to Riley and Hoskins tried to score, but was caught. Ortiz walked to load the bases, bringing up Perkins. He would not let this opportunity be wasted as he hit a single to center, scoring two and giving the Brewers a 6-4 lead.

Two innings later, the Brewers tacked on a few more runs. Adames led the inning with a walk, and Ortiz doubled him in. Two batters later, Andruw Monasterio brought in Ortiz. That gave the Brewers two insurance runs, increasing their lead to 8-4.

From there, the Brewers bullpen kept the Braves in check. Nick Mears had a clean sixth with two strikeouts. Joel Payamps worked around a walk in the seventh for a clean inning. Jared Koenig allowed a hit but struck out the side in the eighth. Devin Williams got some work in the ninth, allowing a solo home run to Jarred Kelenic but nothing else as he secured the win.

Chourio, Hoskins, and Ortiz all had three-hit games and added on a walk to reach base four times each. Blake Perkins also had a three-hit game. Sánchez was the other Brewer with a multi-hit game, recording two hits. Every Brewers starter except for Garrett Mitchell reached base at least once. The Brewers had 16 hits as a team and went 6-for-22 with runners in scoring position. Perkins and Chourio also added two-steal days, putting Perkins at 16 and Chourio at 15 for the season.

The Brewers go for the sweep of the Braves tomorrow in Atlanta. Frankie Montas will face Charlie Morton to finish up the series. It’s a morning start, with first pitch set for 11:20 a.m. in Wisconsin. The game will be on Bally Sports Wisconsin and the Brewers Radio Network.