Davis' two homers power Crew vs. Padres
MILWAUKEE -- Khris Davis hit a pair of three-run home runs and Matt Garza pitched seven of his best innings this season in the Brewers' 10-1 win over the Padres on Thursday at Miller Park.
The Padres lost the series, three games to one, and have dropped four of their past five games -- a blow to the club's hopes of climbing into the National League Wild Card race after mostly standing pat at the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline. Right-hander Odrisamer Despaigne absorbed most of the damage Thursday, allowing seven earned runs over the first four innings of his five-inning start.
Garza was much sharper in his third quality start in four outings since a stint on the disabled list for a sore shoulder. He allowed only two hits over seven innings, with Melvin Upton Jr.'s fifth-inning solo homer representing the only damage. Garza owns a 2.55 ERA in his first four starts off the DL.
"He's an important guy," said Brewers manager Craig Counsell, who announced earlier in the day he was removing Kyle Lohse from the rotation, leaving Garza as the group's elder statesman. "Hopefully, that break and getting back to health, you'll see what we're accustomed to seeing."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Khrushed: Counsell predicted just the other day that Davis was close to rediscovering his power stroke, and Thursday's two-homer, six-RBI afternoon was the first manifestation. Davis' third-inning, three-run homer was his eighth of the season but first since July 18, and his first as a member of the starting lineup since July 8. He hit another three-run shot to center field in the eighth to put the Brewers into double digit runs for the first time since July 3.
Video: SD@MIL: Davis hits two homers, propels Crew to a win
"The past couple days, I've been working with 'DC' and 'T-Bone' [hitting coaches Darnell Coles and John Shelby] with some early work, and I think it's the result of some hard work," Davis said. "I had been swinging and missing a lot, not getting through the ball and staying through the middle." More >
The 'other' Upton: Earlier in this series, center fielder Upton Jr. showed off his arm by throwing out a runner at the plate. On Thursday, he used his bat to make a mark, as he hit a solo home run to left field in the fifth inning, his third since joining the team on June 8. The Upton home run was one of just two hits the team had in the game.
He's back: Slowed by back stiffness on the Brewers' last road trip, Adam Lind is now on a hot streak. His first-inning single gave the Brewers a 1-0 lead, extended Lind's hitting streak to six games and marked the start of a three-hit, three-RBI afternoon. Lind also hit a two-out, two-run double in the fourth inning to extend Milwaukee's lead to 7-0 and reached safely four times in the game.
Video: SD@MIL: Lind slices two-run double to left field
Big league moment: Rookie outfielder Alex Dickerson, recalled earlier in the day from Triple-A El Paso, made his Major League debut in the eighth inning as a pinch-hitter. Facing Brewers reliever Michael Blazek, Dickerson flew out to right field. More >
QUOTABLE
"Although I'm very disappointed, I feel like there's a lot left in the team. I know people can snicker and look at the [playoff expectation] percentages. But I think there's a lot left in this team," -- Padres interim manager Pat Murphy, on the team's 5-5 road trip that ended with three losses
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
The Brewers might have a hard time scoring runs after trading away Aramis Ramirez, Carlos Gomez and Gerardo Parra, but the past two days have offered a reprieve. All eight positional starters have collected a hit in consecutive games.
The seven earned runs allowed by Despaigne marked already the seventh time this season that a Padres starting pitcher has allowed seven or more earned runs in a start. That only happened twice in 2014.
MISSED OPPORTUNITY
The Padres began this three-city, 10-game road trip on a strong note, winning five of the first seven games against the Mets, Marlins and Brewers. But they fizzled at the finish, dropping these last three games against the Brewers, allowing 21 runs over that stretch.
"They [Brewers] played good baseball the last three days. These were games we were hoping to win, to set us up in the right position to have a good road trip," said Padres second baseman Jedd Gyorko. "They hurt. They played well, you've got to give them credit."
More >
WHAT'S NEXT
Padres: James Shields (8-4, 3.74 ERA) gets the start Friday when the Padres return home to Petco Park to face the Phillies at 7:10 p.m. PT. Shields is 4-1 with a 2.47 ERA in 10 starts at his home ballpark. This will be his first start against the Phillies since 2013.
Brewers: The Brewers' home-heavy August continues with their third straight series at Miller Park, this one a three-game weekend set against the National League Central-leading Cardinals. Rookie right-hander Tyler Cravy (0-2, 3.60 ERA), just added to the rotation in place of Kyle Lohse, start's Friday's series opener at 7:10 p.m. CT.
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