Brewers Pull Away Late to Beat Cardinals 8-4 in Series Opener
The short version
- Brewers beat Cardinals 8-4 Friday in the opener of the final regular-season series
- St. Louis tied the game 4-4 in the seventh on homers by Jordan Walker and Alec Burleson
- Milwaukee scored four eighth-inning runs, capped by Brice Turang's two-run single
- Michael McGreevy allowed four runs before exiting in the fifth inning
- Quinn Mathews faces Dustin May in Saturday's game two in Milwaukee
Milwaukee broke a 4-4 tie with four runs in the eighth inning to open the final regular-season series with a win over St. Louis at American Family Field.
The Milwaukee Brewers defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 8-4 on Friday night at American Family Field in the first game of the clubs' final regular-season series of the year. Milwaukee, a 100-win team, is closing out the regular season while the Cardinals are playing out the final weekend of their schedule.
The Brewers struck first in the bottom of the opening inning against St. Louis starter Michael McGreevy. Garrett Mitchell led off with a single and scored when Brice Turang doubled into the left-center field gap for a 1-0 lead. The Cardinals answered in the fourth, when Ivan Herrera hit a 393-foot home run off Milwaukee starter Robert Gasser to tie the game at 1-1.
Milwaukee moved back in front in the bottom of the fourth. McGreevy walked Christian Yelich, who advanced to third on a single by Ortiz and scored on Frelick's fielder's-choice grounder, making it 2-1.
The fifth inning proved costly for McGreevy. Turang led off with a double, advanced on a flyout by William Contreras, and scored on Jake Bauers' single to center for a 3-1 lead. After Yelich reached on an infield hit and Lara walked to load the bases, McGreevy's night ended. Reliever Brycen Mautz walked pinch-hitter Jackson Chourio to force in a fourth run before striking out Hamilton to escape further trouble.
St. Louis rallied in the seventh. Jordan Walker led off with a 411-foot home run to center to cut the deficit to 4-2, and after Leo Bernal singled, pinch-hitter Alec Burleson launched a 414-foot home run off the right-field foul pole to tie the game at 4-4. Luis Gastelum worked a clean bottom of the seventh aside from a walk.
The Brewers broke the game open in the eighth. Gastelum allowed a leadoff single to Chourio before Justin Bruihl hit Hamilton with a pitch and then muffed Mitchell's sacrifice bunt attempt, loading the bases. Turang followed with a two-run single to left for a 6-4 lead. Cade Winquest then threw the ball over third base during a rundown of Mitchell, allowing both runners to advance, and Contreras singled in another run before Bauers added a sacrifice fly, stretching the lead to 8-4.
Trevor Megill closed it out in the ninth despite a leadoff single by Bernal. Burleson, Thomas Saggese, and Masyn Winn recorded the final three outs, with Winn striking out to end the game.
The series continues Saturday in Milwaukee, with Quinn Mathews making his final start of the season for St. Louis against former Cardinals pitcher Dustin May. Fans can watch the Cardinals at Brewers on Saturday, September 26 at 7:10 PM EDT from American Family Field, with the game available on MLB.TV, Brewers.TV, and Cardinals.TV.
