Peralta, bullpen falter in Brewers’ Game 1 NLWCS loss

A five-run fifth inning by the Mets was too much for the Brewers to overcome

Box Score

With playoff baseball in Milwaukee again, the atmosphere was electric at American Family Field again. The Brewers fed that energy early before the Mets silenced it.

Freddy Peralta was on the mound to start the game and he came out firing. He started the game with two strikeouts, both looking. He then finished the top of the first by catching a pop fly, and the game was off to a great start.

The offense took that great start and ran with it. Brice Turang started the offense off with a leadoff double that got by third baseman Mark Vientos. Jackson Chourio singled to followed it, though Turang had to hold up at third. That didn’t matter, though, as William Contreras recorded the third straight hit to start the day for the Brewers. Three batters in and they had a 1-0 lead.

It didn’t stop there in the first. Two batters later, Willy Adames drew a walk to load the bases. Two batters after that, Rhys Hoskins got on base the hard way, taking a pitch to the arm. Chourio scored and the Brewers were up 2-0. They couldn’t convert the bases loaded opportunity again as Sal Frelick grounded out to end the inning.

Unfortunately, all of that good the Brewers did in the first inning was quickly undone in the second. The first three batters of the inning all reached for the Mets. Vientos started it off with a single, then Pete Alonso drew a walk. The third batter of the inning, Jesse Winker (who has become infamous for his 2023 postseason with Milwaukee) destroyed the early spirit with a triple into the right field corner, tying the game at 2-2. He would then score right after that on a Starling Marte sacrifice fly, giving the Mets a 3-2 lead. Not only that, but Winker and Adames were seen yelling at each other, and replay showed Winker saying something to Adames as he ran the bases. Adames didn’t elaborate much after the game about what was said, though.

Turang tried to keep the offense running in the bottom of the second with his second double of the day, but that was all the offense managed there as they went down in order. Another chance came up in the third, when the Brewers put runners at the corners with a Garrett Mitchell walk and Jake Bauers single. However, Hoskins grounded into an easy double play and the inning ended.

In the fourth, the Brewers got another scoring chance going, this time thanks to a Frelick double. Turang responded two batters later with his third hit of the day, but because it was a ground ball to Lindor at short, Frelick couldn’t advance. That didn’t end up mattering with Chourio at the plate. He hit a single to center, scoring Frelick to tie the game at 3-3. In addition, Chourio reached second after Tyrone Taylor threw the ball in to the pitcher’s mound and nobody covered second.

One batter later, the Brewers had the lead again. This time, it was William Contreras, who came through with an RBI groundout to put the Brewers ahead 4-3.

With the lead coming out of the fourth inning and Peralta at 68 pitches, manager Pat Murphy decided to dip into the bullpen there. He went right to the A-bullpen, putting in Joel Payamps for the fifth. The inning started well, with Chourio making a leaping catch to take an extra-base hit away from Marte.

However, in the next at-bat by Taylor, he hit another ball to left field. This looked more routine, but Chourio misplayed it and it bounced off his glove, allowing Taylor to record a double. The next play was more routine for Chourio with a flyout for the second out. After that, it all fell apart. Lindor drew a walk, and Jose Iglesias followed with a hard hit toward Hoskins, but Payamps wasn’t at first and had to race to first to cover. Iglesias beat him and it was a single. Not only that, but Taylor kept running after reaching third and scored, tying the game at 4-4.

Murphy made another pitching change from there, bringing in Aaron Ashby to try to keep the Mets at bay. Unfortunately, the Mets kept piling on. Brandon Nimmo hit an infield single at Adames, who had no play and the bases were loaded. After that, Vientos singled to right and two more runs scored. After Ashby threw a wild pitch that moved Vientos up, he intentionally walked Alonso and the Mets pinch-hit J.D. Martinez for Winker. The move worked, as Martinez singled to right and the Mets had an 8-4 lead. After Ashby walked Marte to load the bases, Murphy pulled Ashby for Nick Mears, who got Taylor to line out to end the inning.

Following the game, Murphy explained his reasoning for pulling Peralta at the start of the fifth:

After that fifth inning, any momentum going for the Brewers was gone. The Mets quieted down as well, but at that point they had the lead and didn’t need any more. Over the last 4 ¹⁄₂ innings, both teams managed just one baserunner (a walk by Alonso in the seventh).

For the pitching staff, it was a rough game for many of the players that had been sturdy most of the season. Peralta allowed three earned runs in four innings, those coming on just three baserunners (all in the second). Payamps was charged for three runs in ²⁄₃ of an inning, and Ashby was charged for two runs without recording an out. Payamps allowed two hits and a walk, while Ashby allowed three hits and two walks.

Mears and Aaron Civale saved the bullpen from being overtaxed, at least. They pitched 4 ¹⁄₃ scoreless innings combined to finish up the game.

The top of the order produced for the Brewers, but that was about it. Six of the eight hits came from the top three spots. Turang had three hits (two doubles), Chourio had two hits, and Contreras had a hit and two RBI. The bottom six hitters in the order went 2-for-21 with two walks and a hit by pitch.

If watching these playoff games has been depressing lately, you’re not overreacting. Here’s how bad it’s been for the Brewers in the playoffs in recent years:

At least it wasn’t just the Brewers struggling in game one as the home team. Both of the other home teams before this game (Astros and Orioles) also took game-one losses.

Once again, it’s do or die for the Brewers in the NL Wild Card Series. They have to rebound in game two to prevent the season from ending. Frankie Montas will try to do that for the Brewers, being named by Murphy after the game as the starter. Murphy said it was between him and Civale, and Montas will get it after Civale was needed in game one. On the other side, it will be Sean Manaea pitching for the Mets.

First pitch is set for 6:38 p.m. on ESPN and the Brewers Radio Network.