No celebration erupted, no champagne flowed, and the game was far from over when shortstop Luis Urías turned a routine groundout. But with that final out of the third recorded and the Brewers in front of the Marlins on the scoreboard, a relief, of sorts, had finally arrived.
Prior to preserving that one-run edge, the Crew went 56 long innings without a lead. That unsightly streak is over, and, with a 6-2 win over the Marlins at loanDepot park on Saturday night, so is a six-game losing skid that saw Milwaukee slip from best record in the National League to second place in the NL Central.
“It was a big win,” starting pitcher Adrian Houser said. “We needed to bear down and get a good win against a good ballclub that’s been on their own win streak. It was a big win for us to get the wheels going and get back to where we were.”
This win, in which Brewers pitchers struck out 18 Marlins batters, was primarily the product of Houser’s excellent outing in which he became just the 15th pitcher (17th time overall) in the modern era -- and the first Brewers pitcher -- to hit a home run, walk nobody and strike out 10 or more in a game.
What’s more, the home run -- a solo shot in the fourth -- came off Daniel Castano. That’s the same pitcher who surrendered Houser’s first career homer on April 27, with both going out to right-center. The last pitcher to hit two home runs off the same pitcher in separate games within the same season was Bronson Arroyo (off Glendon Rusch) in 2006.
“I think anytime the pitcher hits a homer, you think it’s going to change how he is pitched from that point forward a little bit,” manager Craig Counsell said. “But he got another fastball tonight and put a really good charge into it again. So it's unexpected and a surprise but something that picked everybody up, picked the dugout up and got everybody fired up.”
Boy, did they need it.
In a week that saw the Brewers lose routinely, give up four grand slams and put their star Christian Yelich back on the injured list just one game after he had returned, the win was wonderful. The Brewers were down early when Houser gave up a leadoff shot to Miguel Rojas in the first, but they put up a pair in the third, got homers from Houser and Avisaíl García and got strong relief from J.P. Feyereisen, from Devin Williams and from closer Josh Hader, who became the fastest pitcher in history to 400 career strikeouts.
As good as Houser was and as important as it was for him to shake off the Rojas homer and set a tone, that last bit about the bullpen is not to be ignored. A week without a lead is an eternity for a team and particularly for a ‘pen built around the concept of upholding advantages.
Feyereisen hadn’t pitched in four days, and Williams and Hader hadn’t pitched in a week. But no rust was evident here. He pitched his 17th straight appearance to start the season without allowing an earned run. Williams had his best “Airbender” in striking out the three batters he faced in the eighth. And Hader not only got No. 400 but also Nos. 401 and 402 in striking out the side in the ninth.
“Despite what’s happened this past week, we’ve got a nice mix going on there [in the bullpen],” Counsell said. “We’ve solidified roles, solidified innings, and they’re doing a heck of a job. It’s been a light trip for them, which is in some ways good over the big picture. … I think we’re in a good place with them moving forward. That’s the exciting part of this team as the season moves on.”
Such bullpen work should serve the Brewers well should they get their swagger back. And Saturday was a big step in that direction.