Brewers proceed to ‘simply rack up wins’ in extra-inning thriller over White Sox

CHICAGO — Before Friday’s 10-inning, 7-6 win over the White Sox, Craig Counsell joked that it didn’t matter who the Brewers performed, it will most likely be “a low-scoring game that’s a close game.”

That’s how issues have gone for his group recently. This was their third consecutive extra-inning recreation, and the second in a row received by only a run. All wins rely the identical, however within the National League Central, the place the highest three groups are separated by simply 2.5 video games within the standings, one other win might be invaluable.

“It’s good that we can win all these close ballgames,” Mark Canha stated. “Because coming down the stretch, you’re going to have to win games like this. You’re going to play some stiff competition, the games are going to be close.”

Since becoming a member of the Brewers on July 31 forward of the Trade Deadline, Canha has a .549 OPS, however he has provide you with clutch extra-inning doubles in back-to-back video games. In Wednesday’s win over the Rockies, Canha tied the sport with a Tenth-inning double, and the one distinction Friday evening was that he drove within the profitable run with a Tenth-inning double. 

In order to win shut video games, guys should execute on the small print. Before Canha got here in to pinch-hit for Joey Wiemer within the Tenth, Victor Caratini lined out to Tim Anderson at shortstop. The 100 mph liner ought to have left Brice Turang stranded on the basepaths for a positive White Sox double play, however Turang made it again to second base in time.

“Ninety-five percent of the league is doubled off on that ball, and that was really important. It gave Mark [Canha] a shot,” Counsell stated.

Brewers starter Corbin Burnes battled by means of 5 2/3 innings, giving up eight hits and 5 runs, probably the most runs he’s surrendered in a begin since June 19 in opposition to the D-backs. Shaky protection within the first inning contributed to Burnes’ struggles, and he stated it took him till the second time by means of the order to really feel like he was getting forward in counts.

Burnes left the sport within the sixth inning with Milwaukee forward 6-5. In the seventh, Eloy Jiménez and Yoan Moncada had back-to-back hits to start out a rally in opposition to Elvis Peguero that tied the sport till Canha’s double within the Tenth.

Joel Payamps, Devin Williams, and Abner Uribe pitched the final three innings, and Uribe earned his first profession save. For the final out, Oscar Colás hit a grounder again to Uribe, who held onto the ball and ran it to first to the touch the bottom himself. He joked afterward that he was afraid he would sail the throw to first if he didn’t simply take it there on his personal.

There are nonetheless over 40 video games left within the season, and Counsell is not any stranger to division races which might be as tight as the previous few video games the Brewers have performed. His group reached the playoffs 4 years in a row from 2018-2021, and the earliest the Brewers clinched a spot was in 2021, once they locked up their division on Sept. 26. In 2018, when Milwaukee received the division and finally reached the NLCS, it occurred at Wrigley Field in recreation 163. 

As issues presently stand, the Brewers’ 2.5 recreation lead over the Cubs and Reds is without doubt one of the narrowest in baseball. They have traded spots on the prime with Cincinnati for a lot of the season, and the Cubs have gone 35-25 since June 1. But Counsell’s familiarity with shut division races retains the person video games in perspective.

“Your job is just to rack up wins, and if you just rack up wins, you kind of don’t worry about anybody else, and we accomplished that tonight. On to tomorrow,” he stated.

“Frankly, I think it helps us now, when we’ve been given the feedback the last week of the season that every single game before that really mattered. And I think that’s where it does good for us. We’ve played the last six years of baseball down to the last two games of the year.”

The Brewers would favor to keep away from shut video games and shut division races within the subsequent few weeks. They have been simply 5 video games above .500 because the begin of June, however the sentiment within the clubhouse is that their greatest stretches are forward.

“We aren’t playing our best baseball, and I think everyone in here knows that,” Burnes stated. “We know that if we play our best baseball we are the best team in the division and we can win the division.”