Between injuries and COVID-19, the Brewers have certainly had a bunch working against them lately, but the hallmark of a good team is finding a way to get the job done anyway.

In Milwaukee’s case, those healthy enough to take the field have also taken turns to keep the Brewers among the best teams in baseball as they wait for the reinforcements to arrive. Sunday was Omar Narváez’s time in the spotlight, as his home run got the offense moving before Milwaukee bowed out late, 5-4, to the Giants at American Family Field.

“I think this is an example of a series against a very good baseball team where mistakes cost you a little more dearly, and you’ve got to do just a little bit more to win games,” manager Craig Counsell said. “If there’s a lesson from the series, that’s what it is. It’s not a lesson that we don’t know about. It’s a lesson that that’s what good teams do.”

Despite the loss, the Brewers still managed to close out the homestand with a comfortable lead in the National League Central and one of the best records in baseball at 66-46. They still have seven on the COVID-related IL -- six of them are pitchers, which has stretched the bullpen to its breaking point -- but take comfort in knowing those who suit up are doing their best to hold down the fort.

Rowdy Tellez and Willy Adames boosted the team in recent action, setting the stage for Sunday’s series wrap.

Tellez
Tellez was the star on Wednesday as well as in Friday’s series opener, with the first baseman driving in the go-ahead runs in both games, including Friday’s walk-off knock. In addition to providing the spark in those crucial moments, Tellez entered Sunday with 15 RBIs and five home runs in his past 14 games, slashing .367/.436/.735 in that stretch.

Adames
It’s no secret that Adames is on fire after he was acquired on May 21 via a trade with the Rays. The shortstop is hitting .293 since landing with Milwaukee, with 15 homers and 45 RBIs across 67 games. It’s a big jump from his .197 clip to start the season and the Brewers couldn’t be happier with the move. Adames slugged an absolute bomb in the bottom of the 10th during the Brewers’ 9-6 loss on Saturday, his 15th of the season and fourth in eight games.

Sunday brought with it another back-and-forth battle against NL West-leading San Francisco, which was made all that much more difficult when starter Brett Anderson exited the game just prior to the sixth inning with cramping in his left calf. After his final warmup pitch, the lefty shook his arm, signaled to the dugout, walked off the field then very gingerly made his way down the dugout steps due to the cramping. He said afterward that he believes the incident is isolated and he will be ready for his next turn.

“After the first couple innings that were shaky, to get on a roll there and be efficient and be in the lead -- I’d like to go deeper in the ballgame,” Anderson said. “Especially with the depleted bullpen and stuff. It’s frustrating, but luckily, I don’t think it’s anything worse than cramps that I couldn’t stop.”

Luckily also for the Brewers, it’s not just the offense stepping up to fill the gaps lately. John Curtiss was pressed into emergency action following Anderson’s departure, and he had big shoes to fill: Anderson had allowed just one run -- a first-inning homer -- and was cruising against the powerful Giants lineup.

Curtiss held firm despite a bases-loaded situation to open the sixth after a throwing error from shortstop Luis Urías and a pair of walks. The righty managed to wiggle out of trouble with just a sacrifice fly charged to him, registering three consecutive outs. Curtiss’ performance proved crucial when San Francisco tied the game on a two-run, pinch-hit homer in the seventh from Brandon Belt, his fourth round-tripper in three days.

Narváez’s home run was the Crew’s first hit of the game and the offense came alive behind him, adding a run in the fifth on a Kolten Wong single and another in the sixth when Eduardo Escobar came home on a wild pitch to push the score to 4-2.

Unfortunately, the bat magic eventually ran out for Milwaukee, which didn’t register a hit after Urías’ sixth-inning single. The Giants fought back, tying the game on Belt’s home run off newcomer Daniel Norris, then scoring the eventual game-winner on a single in the eighth when pinch-hitter Tommy La Stella finally bested Brad Boxberger during an 11-pitch at-bat that included five, two-strike fouls.

“I think we played a pretty good game,” Narváez said. “Wins and losses are going to come, regardless. We’ve just got to keep playing good, and we did today.”