Brewers Blow It Open in the 11th, Spoil Arizona's Fourth
Milwaukee needed extra innings to put Arizona away, but when the dam broke, it broke fast. A throwing error in the 11th turned a one-run edge into a four-run cushion, and the Brewers walked away with a 7-4 win on July 4th.
The game looked like it might belong to Milwaukee early. Garrett Mitchell crushed a 435-foot home run to center in the second inning — reviewed and upheld — that scored Bauers and put the Brewers up 2-0. Bauers added another run in the third with a single to right that scored Turang, pushing the lead to 3-0. Chad Patrick had been nearly untouchable through 3.1 innings, allowing just one hit with no earned runs and two strikeouts, and Milwaukee looked firmly in control.
Arizona had other ideas. The third inning unraveled quickly for the Brewers as Moreno singled to right to score Marte, then Arenado doubled to left to score both Carroll and Moreno, knotting the game at 3-3. Just like that, a three-run lead was gone. The game stayed locked from the fourth inning all the way through the tenth — a long, grinding stretch where neither side could manufacture the decisive blow. Grant Anderson provided two clean innings of relief for Milwaukee, allowing just one hit with no earned runs, keeping the Brewers alive.
The 11th inning is where this game was decided — and the story of the night was how it happened. Chourio reached on an infield single to the pitcher, and when pitcher Thompson's throwing error allowed Perkins and Pratt to score, Arizona's win probability cratered from 40% to 10%, a swing of 31 points on a single chaotic play. Yelich was safe at third on the same error, and the bases were loaded with trouble. Turang then delivered the knockout blow, singling to left to score both Yelich and Chourio, making it 7-3. Turang finished 3-for-6 with 2 RBI and a run scored — looks like he was the quiet engine of this offense all night. Arizona got a consolation run in the bottom of the 11th when Vargas singled to right to score Gurriel Jr., but the final was 7-4. Vargas went 3-for-5 on the night and Arenado drove in two, so Arizona's lineup wasn't lifeless — the Brewers just found a way when it mattered most, aided significantly by a gift from the defense.