BALTIMORE – With another late-inning rally -- two, actually -- the Brewers moved closer to clinching a well-deserved vacation before the start of their postseason push.
Jackson Chourio belted a three-run home run for a second-inning lead and stole two more bases to leave him only one shy of a third straight 20-20 season. But it took William Contreras and Christian Yelich delivering run-scoring hits in the ninth inning and Sal Frelick pushing the Brewers ahead again in the 10th for a 6-5 win over the Orioles at Camden Yards on Friday.
It lowered to three the combination of Brewers wins and Braves losses necessary to secure a first-round bye for Milwaukee in the National League playoff field. The Brewers (96-58) are aiming higher, trying to hold off the Dodgers for the best record in the NL and the Rays for MLB’s best overall record to ensure home-field advantage throughout the postseason.
“This team wants every win,” said Milwaukee starter Dustin May.
Win No. 96, one shy of the Brewers' franchise record set last season, did not come easily. They had to overcome Pete Alonso’s game-tying three-run homer off May back in the third inning, then had to overcome Trevor Megill’s first blown save since June 5.
But it’s not the first time the Brewers have gotten the job done late. Their 14 victories this season after being tied or trailing after eight innings are tied with the Padres for third-most in the Majors. Only the Cubs (16) and Braves (15) have more.
"You know what kind of players they have. They’re a really gritty group,” said Orioles third baseman Coby Mayo. “They play small ball, they don’t strike out, they put the ball in play. And then, I just saw it tonight, they have a bunch of guys in their bullpen that throw super hard. They’re a good team."
Here are three takeaways:
1. The reliever trust tree is growing
Megill experienced a rare setback after entering the night with a 1.37 ERA in his last 53 appearances since the middle of April, and 20 consecutive converted save chances. But that was balanced by what the Brewers continued to learn about some of their other relievers with October looming. This includes left-hander Shane Drohan, a starter most of the year who has delivered in a pair of high-leverage relief outings on this road trip. Drohan produced a third-inning bailout of May on Friday. Additionally, DL Hall has been climbing the trust tree for several weeks, providing the Brewers with two scoreless innings against the O’s, and posting a 1.16 ERA in his last 18 outings.
“[Hall] can help us in big situations, just like he did today,” manager Pat Murphy said.
Then there was Chad Patrick in the 10th inning, securing the extra-inning save on Friday. Patrick is another converted starter who emerged as a bullpen weapon last year, and he hopes to do the same this year once roles change in October.
“We did that a lot last year in the postseason,” Patrick said. “We’re ready for anything at this point.”
2. The whole roster is involved
The Brewers don’t hit a lot of home runs, and they aren’t stocked with superstars like the clubs they are likely to face in the postseason. But that can be a strength in games like Friday’s, when Jake Bauers and Frelick both contributed off the bench, with Frelick taking a pinch-hit walk in the eighth inning and then sneaking a go-ahead single through the right side of the infield in the 10th.
“Everyone knows their roles,” Frelick said.
That’s what you want by this time of year.
“Extra innings, everybody involved,” Murphy said. “You’ve got to think. We used almost everybody off the bench in different situations.”
3. Who’s No. 3?
It’s been one step forward, one step back for May since being acquired from the Cardinals in a Trade Deadline deal. He held the Reds to two hits over six scoreless innings last week in the 20-0 Brewers win that clinched a postseason berth, only to last seven outs against the Orioles and let a 3-0 lead slip away on Alonso’s three-run homer that narrowly cleared the right-field fence in the third.
With Kyle Harrison struggling, Drohan and Robert Gasser unproven and Brandon Woodruff still a long shot to pitch again this season, the Brewers don’t have a clear No. 3 starter behind Jacob Misiorowski and Logan Henderson. May still looks like the frontrunner, since he has postseason experience and the Brewers gave up two premium prospects to acquire him and lefty reliever JoJo Romero for a pennant push.
But in a best-of-five series, they could always get creative. Last year, the Brewers made liberal use of the opener strategy.
“I feel like the stuff’s coming out good, I’m just not closing the door,” said May. “It’s incredibly frustrating, knowing that I feel good and that my stuff’s in a really good spot. I’m just not executing or throwing the right pitch in the right situation. I know I have the tools in the box to be able to do it.”
“He’s got to be ahead in the count,” Murphy said. “With his stuff, when he’s ahead in the count, he’s really good.”