The Brewers entered this game coming off of a crushing loss to the Giants. The Giants entered this game riding the momentum off an amazing late game comeback win. Both offenses came alive in the late innings in the game before this one so it would be interesting to see whether or not that would translate to this game. The winner of this game would win the series and both teams would likely need more runs than they scored in the games prior to win this one. The Giants would attempt to win the series with Austin Slater (CF) hitting leadoff, Kris Bryant (LF) hitting 2nd, Darin Ruf (1B) hitting 3rd, Wilmer Flores (3B) hitting cleanup, Brandon Crawford (SS) hitting 5th, Donovan Solano (2B) hitting 6th, Curt Casali (C) hitting 7th, LaMonte Wade Jr. (RF) hitting 8th, and last but not least, Johnny Cueto hitting 9th. The Brewers lineup had Kolten Wong (2B) hitting leadoff, Christian Yelich (LF) hitting 2nd, Eduardo Escobar (3B) hitting 3rd, Omar Narváez (C) hitting cleanup, Rowdy Tellez (1B) hitting 5th, Luis Urías (SS) hitting 6th, Jace Peterson (RF) hitting 7th, Jackie Bradley Jr. (CF) hitting 8th, and Brett Anderson (P) hitting last. The pitching matchup in this game was between Brett Anderson who entered this game with a record of 4-5 and an ERA of 3.67 and Johnny Cueto whose record was 7-6 with a 3.83 ERA. Based on these 2 pitchers ERA this game would likely be a little more exciting with more scoring. For the Brewers to win they would need to score a lot early against Johnny Cueto, Brett Anderson would need to limit Giants runs and go as long as possible, and the Brewers bullpen would need to keep the lead intact and get the win. For the Giants to win they would need a great start out of Johnny Cueto, take an early lead, and find innings out of their bullpen. Would the Giants win the series or would the Brewers please their fans by getting a series win at home? To the game!
The first pitch of the game was bunted foul by Austin Slater. Slater ended up grounding out to Luis Urías. Then Kris Bryant grounded out to Brett Anderson. After that Darin Ruf hit a solo home run to left center field. To end the inning Wilmer Flores grounded out to Luis Urías. Johnny Cueto’s first pitch was a strike to Kolten Wong. Wong ended up striking out looking. Then Christian Yelich flew out to Austin Slater. To end the inning Eduardo Escobar flew out to Austin Slater. This was a great 1st inning for the Giants as they took an early lead. The Giants led 1-0 after the 1st inning.
To start the 2nd inning Brandon Crawford singled to center field. Then Donovan Solano grounded into a 6, 4, 3 double play. After that Curt Casali and LaMonte Wade Jr. singled leaving runners on 1st and 2nd. To end the half inning Johnny Cueto grounded out to Luis Urías. To start the bottom of the 2nd Omar Narváez grounded out to Darin Ruf. Then Rowdy Tellez popped out to Brandon Crawford. To end the inning Luis Urías grounded out to Donovan Solano. This was another great inning out of Johnny Cueto but a disappointing one for the offense as the failed to execute with a runner in scoring position. The Giants still led 1-0 after the 2nd inning.
To leadoff the 3rd inning Austin Slater doubled down the right field line. Then Kris Bryant flew out to Jace Peterson letting Slater tag up and advance to 3rd. After that Darin Ruf struck out swinging on a full count. To end the inning Wilmer Flores grounded out to Eduardo Escobar. To start the bottom of the 3rd Jace Peterson flew out to Austin Slater. Then Jackie Bradley Jr. struck out swinging on 9 pitches. To end the inning Brett Anderson flew out to LaMonte Wade Jr. in right field. This was a very disappointing inning for the Giants as they were unable to score despite a leadoff double. The Giants once again led 1$0 after the 3rd inning.
To leadoff the 4th inning Brandon Crawford grounded out to Brett Anderson. Then Donovan Solano lined out to Jace Peterson. To end the half inning Curt Casali popped out to Rowdy Tellez in foul territory on the first pitch. To start the bottom of the 4th inning Kolten Wong grounded out to Donovan Solano. Then Christian Yelich walked after being down 0-2. After that Eduardo Escobar popped out to Brandon Crawford in foul territory. Omar Narváez was up next and hit a 2 run homer to right center field. To follow that up Rowdy Tellez singled to right field. To end the inning Luis Urías hit a swinging bunt which was picked up by Curt Casali and thrown to 1st for an out. This was an amazing inning for the Brewers where they broke through with their first 2 hits and took the lead. The Brewers led 2-1 after the 4th inning.
To start the 5th inning LaMonte Wade Jr. struck out swinging. Then Johnny Cueto struck out swinging on 3 pitches. To end the half inning Austin Slater popped out to Kolten Wong. To leadoff the bottom of the 5th Jace Peterson struck out looking. Then Jackie Bradley Jr. singled to right field. Bradley Jr. advanced to 2nd on a bad pickoff throw to 1st that went right passed Darin Ruf. After that Brett Anderson grounded out to Darin Ruf advancing Bradley Jr. to 3rd. Kolten Wong then singled to left field scoring Bradley Jr. from 3rd. To end the inning Christian Yelich popped out to Wilmer Flores. This was another great inning for the Brewers as they tacked onto their lead. The Brewers led 3-1 after the 5th inning.
John Curtiss entered the game for Brett Anderson to pitch the 6th inning after Anderson injured himself while throwing warmup pitches. To leadoff the 6th inning Kris Bryant hit a grounder to Luis Urías who threw the ball way over the head of Rowdy Tellez allowing Bryant to stay at 1st. Then Darin Ruf walked advancing Bryant to 2nd. After that Wilmer Flores walked on a full count loading the bases. Brandon Crawford was up next and flew out to Jace Peterson letting Kris Bryant tag up and score and Darin Ruf tag up and advance to 3rd. To follow that up Donovan Solano struck out swinging on 3 pitches. To end the half inning Curt Casali flew out to Christian Yelich. To leadoff the bottom of the 6th Eduardo Escobar doubled. Then Omar Narváez flew out to Kris Bryant. Following that out José Álvarez came into the game for Johnny Cueto to finish the inning. After that Rowdy Tellez grounded out to Brandon Crawford advancing Escobar to 3rd. Escobar scored on a wild pitch from Álvarez. To follow that up Luis Urías hit an infield single and advanced to 2nd on a throwing error from Brandon Crawford. Avisaíl García pinch hit for Jace Peterson and was intentionally walked. To end the inning Jackie Bradley Jr. struck out swinging. This was a solid inning for both offenses each scoring a run. The Brewers led 4-2 after the 6th inning.
Avisaíl García remained in the game in right field. Daniel Norris relieved John Curtiss to pitch the 7th inning. To start the 7th inning LaMonte Wade Jr. walked. Then Brandon Belt pinch hit for José Álvarez and tied the game with a 2 run shot to center field. To follow that up Austin Slater grounded out to Luis Urías. After that Kris Bryant grounded out to Eduardo Escobar. Darin Ruf then walked on 4 pitches. To end the inning Wilmer Flores flew out to Jackie Bradley Jr. in center field. Tony Watson entered the game for José Álvarez to pitch the bottom half of the frame. Tyrone Taylor pinch hit for Daniel Norris and struck out swinging. Then Kolten Wong popped out to Donovan Solano. To end the inning Christian Yelich struck out swinging on 3 pitches. This was a tremendous inning for the Giants as they tied the game with another clutch Brandon Belt home run. The Giants and Brewers were tied 4-4 after the 7th inning.
Brad Boxberger replaced Daniel Norris to pitch the 8th inning. To leadoff the inning Brandon Crawford beat the shift with a line drive hit down the left field line that he stretched from a single into a double. Then Tommy La Stella pinch hit for Donovan Solano and singled up the middle on the 11th pitch of the at bat scoring Brandon Crawford. To follow that up Curt Casali got out on a sacrifice bunt to Brad Boxberger that advanced La Stella to 2nd. After that LaMonte Wade Jr. struck out swinging. To end the inning Mike Yastrzemski pinch hit for Tony Watson and lined out o Avisaíl García. Tommy La Stella remained in the game as the 2nd baseman. Zack Littell came into the game for Tony Watson to pitch the bottom of the 8th. To start the inning Eduardo Escobar walked. Then Omar Narváez struck out swinging. After that Rowdy Tellez lined out to Kris Bryant. Eduardo Escobar got out on the play after rounding 2nd before the ball was caught and then missing 2nd on the way back so when the Giants stepped on 2nd he was out. This was an astounding inning for the Giants as they took the lead. The Giants led 5-4 after the 8th inning.
Miguel Sánchez replaced Brad Boxberger to pitch the 9th inning. To start the 9th inning Austin Slater flew out to Avisaíl García on the first pitch. Then Kris Bryant struck out swinging on a full count. To end the top of the 9th Darin Ruf struck out swinging on a full count. To start the bottom of the 9th Luis Urías grounded out to Wilmer Flores. Then Avisaíl García popped out to Tommy La Stella. To end the game Jackie Bradley Jr. grounded out to Tommy La Stella. The Giants won 5-4.
Leo’s Extra Inning: This was an amazing comeback win for the Giants that gave them a series win. The Giants were led by Brandon Belt in this game who hit a 2 run home run in a pinch hit appearance that tied the game. Tommy La Stella played great too with a pinch hit single that scored the winning run. Brandon Crawford had a nice game as well going 2 for 3 with a run scored and an RBI. Johnny Cueto pitched perfectly in his first 3 innings but gave up 5 hits, 1 unearned run, 3 earned runs, 1 walk, and 1 home run in his last 2 1/3 innings of his 5 1/3 innings of work. Cueto also recorded 3 strikeouts and got no decision. The Giants bullpen pitched amazingly in this game with 3 pitchers pitching 3 2/3 innings and giving up a combined 1 hit, 0 runs, and 2 walks. José Álvarez had 1 strikeout and got no decision, Tony Watson had 2 strikeouts and got the win, and Zack Littell had 1 strikeout and got the save. The Brewers were led by Omar Narváez in this game going 1 for 4 with a run scored, 2 RBIs, and a 2 run homer. Kolten Wong had a nice game as well going 1 for 4 with an RBI. Eduardo Escobar chipped in as well going 1 for 3 with a run scored and a walk. Brett Anderson had a great start for the Brewers giving up only 5 hits, 1 earned run, 0 walks, and a home run in 5 innings. The Brewers bullpen did not pitch well though with 4 pitchers pitching an inning each and giving up a combined 3 hits, 1 unearned run, 3 earned runs, 4 walks, and a home run. John Curtiss had a strikeout and got a hold in the game, Daniel Norris got 0 strikeouts and was charged with a blown save, Brad Boxberger had 1 strikeout and got the loss, and Miguel Sánchez had 2 strikeouts and got no decision. Since the Dodgers won as well the standings didn’t change after this game. Getting a series win over the Brewers did show that the Giants are capable of beating the Brewers in a possible playoff matchup. The Giants faced 2 of the Brewers best pitchers and the Brewers faced none of the Giants 2 best pitchers which bestowed even more confidence in me. Overall, this was an amazing series for the Giants with multiple comeback wins and 3 extremely close game.
Out of LF 