Brewers, Dodgers Trade Paint, Split Tense Series

Hey, me again. I said I'd be back.

Good news. I made it to 27 wins. Didn't think I could, but with 6 series left to play I've matched the 2024 Brewers' win total. Crossing 27 was a major goal for me this year, and it's all but marked off unless I go 0-24. So getting there midway through this series with Josh was a very big deal to me. 

The bad news is it could have been 28 tonight had some things just gone a little differently for me. My series' with Josh are gonna be evenly matched, because we're very good at exploiting each other's weaknesses, and we do it in a way where neither one of us can keep the leverage for too long. That's exactly what happened here. I'd be pounding away one game and unable to hit a lefty the next. Josh and I traded off awful luck on split rolls. And ultimately, just like our first matchup, we ended in a stalemate. But it was an extremely fun stalemate, with the kind of wild luck and big finishes you'd expect from two evenly-matched teams in a hitter's park.

Here now the writeup, now in glorious Chouri-o-vision:

Game 1: Brewers 3, Dodgers 2

W: Victor Vodnik

L: Jason Adam

Honestly, I didn't think I'd be writing this one up in any other way than a summation of how disappointing my lineup can be. Through 7 innings, the Brewers were inconsolable at the plate. 10 strikeouts overall tonight, 3 runners left on base, a humiliating GDP from Michael Conforto, and a golden sombrero for Heliot Ramos. Hayden Wesneski of all people could not be caught, and the pen was keeping me quiet.

And it sucks, cause this was wasting a great start from Bailey Falter. All he really managed to mess up was two different solo homers, one from Austin Riley and the other from Shohei Ohtani, who, while he didn't get many hits against me tonight, made the few he got count. For four innings it was 2-0, and nobody was coming to save Milwaukee. Granted, the bullpen was still shutting down the Dodgers, and Victor Vodnik got out of some close scrapes to keep the score at 2. In the eighth, Nick Fortes singled home Blake Perkins and there was finally a Milwaukee run on the board.

In the bottom of the ninth, with the game within reach, the Dodgers sent Jason Adam to the mound in what could have been a cut-and-dry save. The Brewers had other ideas. First Isaac Paredes reached base on an error by Spencer Steer, the one defensive sub Josh had made minutes before, and Carlos Santana stepped to the plate with 2 outs, a man on, and the game on his shoulders. 

I'll be honest, I was thinking 'you know, it'd be nice'. And so it was.

A two-run bomb ended this one. Santana was the hero, and the Brewers somehow wound up with the win despite failing to show up for the majority of the game. I was in awe. Usually I was on the other end of this. But against the Dodgers, I'd take it.

Game 2: Dodgers 3, Brewers 1

W: Jason Adam

L: Kyle Finnegan

SV: Kenley Jansen

I think that this series finally illuminated to me the fact that, while my team routinely does very well against lefties, we seem to have difficulty with Josh's lefties in particular. Tonight, both the lefty games that I thought would be gimmes weren't as easy as I thought. This game, my task was to get past Sean Manaea, and none of the usual group of Ramos, Conforto or Santana could do anything against him. Manaea was strong through 5, striking out 5 and only allowing 4 hits. Because my Brewers were still struggling to do anything, no runners got home. 

Yet ironically, Carlos Rodon, who's yet to win a game with me, was better than he's been since leaving Washington. I put him on for 8 innings and he only allowed 2 hits. Granted, one of them was a Hunter Goodman [of all people] homer, which was the sole run scored for the majority of the game, but Rodon was very dominant, and gave a big-game performance that feels all too rare now that Sale's gone. 

Like Game 1, the fun would begin for Milwaukee late, with a solo homer by Travis d'Arnaud [who's been hot as hell recently] tying the game in the ninth. Jason Adam had really rotten luck against me this game. Serves him right, I guess. And so we went to extras. "With most of my bench gone," Josh admitted.

After a really good series of goodwill, Kyle Finnegan got two different save situations from me this series. Neither went well. This one was a disaster from the start, giving up a single to Austin Riley, a sac-bunt to Sal Frelick, and a game-sinking homer to Jackson Merrill. The Brewers had Kenley Jansen to contend with but, as with the theme this game, couldn't get a damned thing done against him. 

The Brewers' offense needed to wake up. Luckily, the next two starters would be much easier to subdue.

Game 3: Brewers 8, Dodgers 4

W: Andrew Heaney

L: Mitch Keller

The Dodgers began this one with an immediate homer by Jonathan India, and Andrew Heaney's home debut started just as well as expected. I immediately feared the worst, yet somehow Heaney was able to settle in, though he did give up 4 runs. Most were on homers, like from Justin Turner and Austin Riley. But the Dodgers still were able to keep Heaney on his toes.

Yet Heaney still ended up with the win. Which begs the question...what went wrong with Keller? What went RIGHT?

The first inning, Keller walked Chourio, then gave up a 2-run bomb to Gavin Lux. Then he walked Paredes and Santana, and eventually an RBI single to J.P. Crawford, finally healthy and hitting. Three runs in the first inning, and an extra bomb from Chourio in the second. Then in the fourth, Blake Perkins tripled, and the exact same roll on Chourio gave him another bomb, Chourio's third run of the day. Paredes used the second triple of the inning to bring Lux home. Then Santana singled Paredes home. That's 8 runs in 5 innings for Keller. I think somewhere in there, I genuinely heard the patented Santora family "I hate this game" from Josh. 

There was some creeping up from LA, making it a 4 run game, but the Brewers' pen shut them down and left a bunch of men on base. Aside from Nick Fortes getting a 2-game injury, this one went pretty well for Milwaukee.

Game 4: Dodgers 8, Brewers 7

W: Huascar Brazoban

L: Kyle Finnegan

This series was fated to be a split. Josh should have won Game 1. I should have won Game 4. Perfectly balanced as all things should be.

Let it be known that this offense actually beat up a lefty starter, like they're supposed to, this game. Tyler Anderson gave up 7 runs in three innings. None were scored on home runs. It was all contact stuff. Isaac Paredes doubled Jackson Chourio home, then Carlos Santana hit an RBI single. In the third, everybody batted around, Bogaerts and Pillar [clutch!] singled people home, and J.P. Crawford had a wild, bases-clearing RBI triple. It was a tremendous show of offense against a lefty pitcher.

There were a few problems though. Firstly, the second Josh took Anderson out, the righties did a lot better against Milwaukee. Luis Ortiz went three strong and constantly got out of some scrapes, getting out of a bases-loaded jam so sneakily you'd think there was money on it. After the third, the Brewers managed no runs, and the bullpen kept the lead at 7. The other issue was that, due to the diluted pitching staff in Milwaukee, it was much easier to chip away at that lead. The Dodgers scored a run in every inning save for the first and sixth. So many were scored on solo homers, like from Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Spencer Steer, Justin Turner and Austin Riley. Pierce Johnson was the only pitcher to not allow runs, as Valente Bellozo and Victor Vodnik let more and more runs scored. 

If the Brewers had managed any production, the game wouldn't have become as close as it was. But alas, no runs scored even in some late, dramatic innings, and a Shohei Ohtani homer in the ninth, off Kyle Finnegan again, gave Josh a lead for the first, and most crucial, time. In the bottom of the ninth, with Jason Adam on, Xander Bogaerts singled on, and J.P. Crawford and Kevin Pillar both squandered any opportunity to re-tie the game. How fitting.

I shouldn't have lost this game, but this team decided not to hit any righties. So I got what I paid for, really. 

Generally I think the Brewers played well, and earned wins against a good team. There were just some issues that really prevented us from doing better, and it's once again the lineup failing to carry the team [which is...why I broke up the pitching staff]. I will take the two wins, especially as it brings me to 27. 

Thanks to Josh for an insanely fun series. Lots of laughs. We went 4-4 this season, and I think we'll be similarly evenly matched next year. I've got 6 series' left to play, and I'm missing the next two strat nights, but I'll try to stay flexible if opportunities present themselves. 

We're getting further on fumes than we did on gas. Let's keep the party going!