MILWAUKEE -- It was evident early Saturday night that pulling off a win was going to be no easy feat for the Brewers.
Many of Milwaukee’s best hitters appeared overmatched against starter Taj Bradley and the rest of the Twins’ pitching staff. Meanwhile, a pesky Minnesota lineup wasted little time building an early advantage.
It was the kind of night where someone unexpected was going to play hero. A rookie pitcher who scuffled through the early part of his start. An infielder who was only playing because a starter went down with an injury. A utility player who just recently came back from a gruesome injury.
Those were the types of players the Brewers leaned upon to claw out a gritty victory. And as Milwaukee quickly learned, everyone it needed to come through was up to the challenge.
Starter Robert Gasser grinded out 4 2/3 much-needed frames on the mound, while David Hamilton and Brandon Lockridge each came off the bench to provide pivotal moments and fuel a hard-fought, 4-3 Brewers win at American Family Field.
“It's huge,” said Andrew Vaughn, who singled home the go-ahead run in the eighth. “Those close games are tough to come out on top. The more of those you win throughout a season, looking back, they may pile up, but in the moment you just have to win each one that you can.”
Winning on Saturday proved to be an uphill battle almost immediately. Gasser quickly found himself in trouble against a Twins lineup that was jumping all over his four-seamer. After avoiding damage in the first, Gasser allowed three runs and plenty of hard contact during a three-run second inning in which he faced eight Minnesota hitters.
Manager Pat Murphy pulled Gasser aside as he made his way back into the dugout, delivering a message that ultimately changed how the rest of the rookie’s night went.
“We talked to Gas after the second inning,” Murphy said. “I said, ‘Hey Gas, the team needs you right now to give us five. We're going with a six-man rotation to help the starters. Now you got to help the club here by giving us five.’ And he did.”
Gasser quickly ditched the four-seam fastball that Minnesota was peppering, instead leaning into his sweeper while using his changeup more than he had all season. The southpaw had thrown just 72 changes coming into Saturday night, but he tossed 23 on Saturday.
The result? Minnesota didn’t score off him again. Gasser finished after whiffing Kody Clemens in the fifth, ensuring three runs were all the Twins were able to tally off of him and setting the table for Milwaukee’s comeback.
“Go back to the routine, and go back to what I know works,” Gasser said of his approach. “Just kind of bobbing and weaving, going back to what I do best.”
He departed his outing with the score tied at 3, thanks in part to Hamilton. The 28-year-old wasn’t in the starting lineup, but he came on in the fourth after third baseman Joey Ortiz departed with neck tightness. In his first at-bat of the night, Hamilton drew an eight-pitch, two-out walk to load the bases against Bradley. Brice Turang followed with a game-tying two-run single.
“It was huge. Hammy's at-bat was the pinnacle of the game,” Vaughn said. “The guys on the bench, everybody's ready to go. No matter what, you never know when your time's going to come to get on the field, and you've just got to be ready for it.”
Vaughn’s eighth-inning hit proved to be the final blow due to some game-changing baserunning from Lockridge, who came on to pinch-run after William Contreras opened the frame with a single. It was Lockridge’s second appearance with the club since suffering severe leg laceration on May 8, but he showed no rust when immediately making a steal of second.
“That's the definition of being ready when called upon,” Murphy said. “He's a ballplayer, and he hasn't had much to his rehab. We had to force him here. He hasn't had many at-bats, but yeah, he's a sneaky, really important piece.”
The steal put Lockridge in perfect position to scamper home on Vaughn’s single, giving Milwaukee a win on a night when such an outcome seemed far-fetched.
The Brewers might not have planned to depend on guys like Gasser, Hamilton and Lockridge coming into Saturday night. But as they showed when called upon, they’re willing to do whatever is necessary to help their team grind out a victory.
“It's a gritty win,” said closer Trevor Megill, who locked down his 21st save on just four pitches. “It's just a little bit of Brewer baseball, I guess. Wins like that keep the season rolling in the right direction.”