Brewers Bury Rangers Early, Survive Nimmo's 426-Foot Scare

Milwaukee put three runs on the board before Texas recorded a single run, and that early cushion proved just enough. Brandon Nimmo's two-run shot to right center — 426 feet — made it a two-run game in the eighth, but the Brewers held on 5-3.

The story of the night was how fast Milwaukee seized control. Jackson Chourio opened the scoring in the first with a 396-foot shot to center, and William Contreras immediately followed with a 409-foot blast to left — back-to-back home runs that swung Milwaukee's win probability from 65% to 74% on Chourio's swing alone. By the second inning, Luis Lara singled to center to score Christian Yelich and push the lead to 3-0, though Lara was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double. Aggressive, but Milwaukee could afford it.

Texas chipped away without ever truly threatening until late. Cody Freeman's 388-foot homer to left center in the fifth got the Rangers on the board, but Cal Quantrill — who struck out 8 over 6.0 innings while allowing just 3 earned runs — couldn't get enough run support to make it matter. Shane Drohan was sharp for Milwaukee through five, surrendering 6 hits but only 1 earned run with 6 strikeouts. The Brewers then extended the lead in the seventh: Lara singled to left to score Contreras, Yelich moved to second, Mitchell moved to third, and a sacrifice fly from Pratt plated Mitchell — suddenly it was 5-1, and the game appeared to be well in hand.

Then Nimmo happened. His 426-foot two-run shot to right center in the eighth — the longest ball of the night — scored Seager and cut it to 5-3, turning what looked like a comfortable win into something that required attention. Chad Patrick had allowed 2 earned runs over 2.1 innings of relief work, and the Rangers' lineup looks capable of making things uncomfortable in a hurry when Nimmo is locked in like this — he finished 3-for-4 with 2 RBI on the night. But Milwaukee's bullpen slammed the door, and the final stood at 5-3. Nimmo's performance was the individual highlight of the game; the Brewers' first-inning barrage was the reason they won it.