MILWAUKEE – The Brewers racked up strikeouts on the mound, ran wild on the bases and flexed some power while winning five of six games on their opening homestand.
But sometimes, you just take what the other team gives you.
Three Tampa Bay errors charged to Junior Caminero on both corners of the infield paved the way for an 8-2 Brewers win on Wednesday at American Family Field, where Brice Turang made Caminero and the Rays pay for one miscue with a game-tying, two-run home run in the third inning before Christian Yelich made them pay for another with a go-ahead, two-run single to kickstart the six-run eighth inning rally that sealed a series victory.
It was Yelich’s second clutch hit in the eighth inning on the homestand, after his pinch-hit, three-run homer provided an early-season signature moment for these Brewers against the White Sox on Sunday.
“We showed every style of game with the homers, the stolen bases, the walks, hit-by-pitches, all that stuff,” Turang said. “We’ve got a really good team, and when we play like that, it’s going to be really hard to beat us.”
“We know this offense over with Milwaukee is very talented,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “And once they get going, between their combination of speed and hit ability, they can have some big innings like that.”
Three of the Brewers’ runs were unearned because they followed errors charged to Caminero, who made two errant throws at third base and dropped a throw at first after he made a surprise move – including for Caminero himself – across the diamond for the eighth. That helped the Brewers load the bases for Yelich, who bounced a single off tough Rays reliever Griffin Jax through the right side of the infield for a 4-2 Brewers lead that grew to 8-2 when Garrett Mitchell added a two-run double and Blake Perkins and David Hamilton drove in a run apiece.
It all revived a debate from last season, when no team in baseball had worse defense played against them than the Brewers did. MLB.com’s Mike Petriello took a deep dive into that on the eve of the postseason.
Is it luck? Or are the Brewers playing a role in creating mistakes by playing the way they did Wednesday, with a pair of bunts (including Yelich’s highlight-reel roller right along the chalk line) and two more stolen bases? Their 15 steals lead the Majors by far, and are the most in franchise history through the first six games of a season, besting the '92 club that went on to lead the Majors and set a franchise record with 256 steals.
“Teams know that we’re going to bunt, know that we’re going to steal bases,” Yelich said. “We try to play that kind of baseball. It’s just a product of doing what you can to win the games late. That’s kind of what happened today.”
Said Turang: “Just the thought of us running or taking the extra base can maybe cause a little rush or a little confusion. And that’s also the style of game that we play. All the guys in here want to play like that.”
“I like the education they’re getting,” said manager Pat Murphy. “If you put the ball on the ground sometimes and bunt, or you’re efficient stealing bases, it can cause some havoc.”
To play like that, the games have to be close. Brewers defenders did their part by playing six error-free games – a new franchise record to start a season – behind pitchers who have combined for a 2.83 ERA and 76 strikeouts, the most strikeouts through the first six games of a season in franchise history. Wednesday’s starter, Jacob Misiorowski, built on his 11-strikeout gem on Opening Day against the White Sox with the Brewers’ first quality start of the season to close out the homestand. He held the Rays to two runs on four hits in six innings, with two walks and seven strikeouts.
One of Misiorowski’s challenges was navigating a delay of nearly 20 minutes in the second inning after home plate umpire CB Bucknor was struck in the facemask by a foul ball and had to leave the game. Misiorowski surrendered a single and a walk once play resumed but got out of that inning, only to hit a batter and serve up Yandy Diaz’s two-run homer to begin the third.
After that, Misiorowski locked in to become the first Brewers pitcher to clear the sixth inning this season.
How did he do it?
“There’s a family-friendly version of it, and it’s, ‘Figure it out,’” Misiorowski said. “In that dugout, I was not saying those friendly words.”
But the Brewers’ offense didn’t take long to bring him back. Six games into the season, Milwaukee already has four come-from-behind victories.
“That’s what keeps me going, is realizing I can get away with letting up a home run because the offense is right there behind me,” Misiorowski said. “It’s fun to watch.”