The Milwaukee Brewers got an improbable 5-4 victory over the San Diego Padres to open up the four game series at American Family Field Thursday night, rallying for 4 runs in the bottom of the ninth.
Adrian House and Sean Mannaea each pitched four scoreless innings before both teams plated a run in the 5th. Brent Suter came on for the sixth and gave up a two run shot to Jorge Alfaro and the Padres added another in the 8th for a 4-1 lead with three outs to go.
Closer Taylor Rogers, gunning for his 18th save, was greeted with a leadoff single by Keston Hiura. Two hit batters loaded the bases and Jace Peterson cleared ’em with a game tying, three run triple. That set the stage for Andrew McCutcheon, mired in a career worst 0 for 32 slump but the veteran delivered a single up the middle to score Peterson with the game winning run. McCutcheon was so relieved that after rounding first he laid down and performed a snow angel in the dirt.
Peter Strzlecki, the third Brewer pitcher to make his major league debut this week, pitched the final two innings to pick up the win. Milwaukee improves to 33-20 and are back up 3 games in the NL Central as the Cubs knocked off the Cardinals 7-5.
Omar Narvaez was placed on the COVID list before the game, leaving Milwaukee with only Victor Caratini at catcher. They needed a body and quickly. Alex Hall, the Australian backup catcher from the Brewers High A Affiliate, the Wisconsin TimberRattlers, was playing cards in the clubhouse in Appleton Thursday afternoon when a Brewer scout said, you’re up kid. On the two hour drive to the stadium,, Hall texted family and friends and he got to the park just minutes before the game. While he didn’t play, he did dress and joked about his first day in the show. Hall said he thought the call up was a prank and he also marveled at the “spread” of food for big leaguers in a major league clubhouse.
Corbin Burnes will be on the hill for game two of the series Friday night. Pre-game coverage begins at 6:35 PM with a 7:10 PM first pitch on WTAQ.
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