Brewers pitcher Freddy Peralta was asked about his 11-4 record. Here’s what he had to say
Milwaukee Brewers ace Freddy Peralta was asked about his 11-4 record at the All-Star break and the team’s turnaround since April
LOS ANGELES — In the city of stars, it was a cast of understudies and players in minor roles that led the Milwaukee Brewers to a feat no other team in the National League has achieved in nearly two decades.
When the Brewers strolled into Dodger Stadium the morning of July 20, it stood that no NL club had swept its season series with the Los Angeles Dodgers since 2006.
The hottest team in baseball walked out having changed that.
With perhaps their biggest statement yet, the Brewers overcame their first deficit of three or more runs all season to win with a 6-5 victory that resounded 2,000 miles all the way back home.
BOX SCORE: Brewers 6, Dodgers 5
Oh, and Milwaukee extended its winning streak to 10 games, tied for the third-longest in franchise history, with six of those wins coming against the Dodgers.
Just over two months ago, the Brewers fell to 25-28 with a frustrating loss in Pittsburgh, seemingly headed for a nondescript season. All they’ve done since then is win 34 of 46, by far and away the best record in the majors in that span.
The best record in the NL? Milwaukee’s now tied for it.
Abner Uribe escapes
Had Mookie Betts’ screaming liner gone almost anywhere else, the Dodgers would have walked the Brewers off. Instead, it landed safely in Blake Perkins’ glove for the final out.
Los Angeles had just cut the deficit to 6-4 when Dalton Rushing reached on a catch error by first baseman Andrew Vaughn, who was unable to secure the throw after what would have been a ridiculous play by Joey Ortiz for the final out. Ortiz made a charging stop — after shifting his momentum because the ball spun off the side of the mound — on Rushing’s softly-struck cue shot and made an acrobatic, off-balance throw to first. It would have been in time had Vaughn not dropped the throw.
It kept the bases loaded for Betts, who laced a liner to center but right at Perkins to give Abner Uribe the save with Trevor Megill unavailable after closing out the last two wins.
Another pesky rally gives Brewers first lead of the day
The Brewers just don’t go away.
One day after delivering the go-ahead home run, Isaac Collins punched a two-out, two-strike, two-run single that broke a 4-4 tie and capped off a three-run sixth.
The rally began with Joey Ortiz’s one-out double, which was promptly followed by an Eric Haase game-tying single to left. After Jackson Chourio singled off of the pitcher, William Contreras struck out and Andrew Vaughn walked to load the bases.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts turned to his third pitcher of the inning, right-hander Will Klein, but Collins capped a scrappy at-bat with a 69 mph dunker to center to score two.
On an afternoon with Christian Yelich and Brice Turang out of the lineup, it was fitting that the Brewers’ run-producing hits all came from the bottom of the order, another reminder of how they operate.
Esteury Ruiz puts the Dodgers ahead in fifth
The Brewers may have won the trade (and then some) but Esteury Ruiz won the at-bat.
The former Brewers prospect, sent away in the William Contreras trade in December 2023, got an order of revenge on the Brewers with a go-ahead solo shot with one out in the fifth. It was the first homer of the year for Ruiz, who’s graded out as a below-replacement level player since the trade.
Shohei Ohtani strikes again, but Brewers get it back
The Dodgers’ bats have been unusually silent through the first five games against the Brewers, save for Shohei Ohtani.
And it was the usual suspect who once again delivered the big hit. Ohtani smacked his 34th home run of the season to give the Dodgers a 3-0 lead in the third against José Quintana.
Quintana’s offense would get a pair of those runs back right away — with some major help from the Dodgers defense (or lack thereof).
A complete misplay by Andy Pages in center field resulted in a game-tying two-base error off Joey Ortiz’s bat, the third straight batted ball resulting in unsightly glovework from the hosts. With two outs and a runner on second, Tommy Edman made a poor throw to first after a diving stop of a Blake Perkins grounder, skipping the ball past first baseman Freddie Freeman to give the Brewers their first run. Andruw Monasterio followed with a bloop hit to left that scored Perkins from second. Esteury Ruiz might have had a chance for a play at the plate with a decent throw, but instead uncorked a weak, wild throw.
What time is the Brewers game today?
Time: 3:10 p.m. CT.
What channel is the Brewers game on today?
TV channel: FanDuel Sports Wisconsin.
Brewers lineup
- Jackson Chourio RF
- William Contreras DH
- Andrew Vaughn 1B
- Isaac Collins LF
- Caleb Durbin 3B
- Blake Perkins CF
- Andruw Monasterio 2B
- Joey Ortiz SS
- Eric Haase C
Dodgers lineup
- Mookie Betts SS
- Shohei Ohtani DH
- Teoscar Hernandez RF
- Freddie Freeman 1B
- Tommy Edman 3B
- Miguel Rojas 2B
- Andy Pages CF
- Esteury Ruiz LF
- Dalton Rushing C
Brewers schedule
Brewers at Mariners, July 21 8:40 p.m. CT: Milwaukee RHP Brandon Woodruff (1-0, 2.81) vs. Seattle TBA. TV – FanDuel Sports Wisconsin. Radio – AM-620 WTMJ.
Brewers at Mariners, July 22 8:40 p.m. CT: Milwaukee RHP Jacob Misiorowski (4-1, 2.81) vs. Seattle TBA. TV – FanDuel Sports Wisconsin. Radio – AM-620 WTMJ.
Brewers at Mariners, July 23 2:40 p.m. CT: Milwaukee RHP Quinn Priester (8-2, 3.33) vs. Seattle TBA. TV – FanDuel Sports Wisconsin. Radio – AM-620 WTMJ.