*Photo from ABC News*
What a difference a few weeks can have on a major league team. Willy Adames homered, Christian Yelich added a homer of his own, and the Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Chicago Cubs with a 7-0 shutout victory on Saturday night in Milwaukee.
Entering the trade deadline, the Brewers had a comfortable lead on the NL Central and were a quality team. After August 2, the Brewers had won just 8 of 23 and have fallen out of playoff position. This win was just their 9th in 24 games, and they sit 2 1/2 games back of the last wild card spot.
Asked about the recent skid, Yelich said that "It’s really hard to win a Major League Baseball game. You’ve got to do a lot of things right. A lot of guys have to play well. Team components. We’ve got a lot of guys who have been on postseason teams in this clubhouse. It’s just up to us to do those little things, bear well and do enough to get across the finish line."
The big contributing factor in this one was the longball. The Brewers homered 3 times, including a needed blast by Yelich. His home run marked just his second since July 2, and his first since August 16. He also collected 3 singles as part of his first 4 hit game since May 11 against the Cincinnati Reds.
The first 6 innings in this game went scoreless, both teams locked in a pitching duel. In the 7th inning, the Brewers offense woke up. Jace Peterson gave the Brewers a 1-0 lead, reaching on a sac bunt that scored Victor Caratini. The next batter was Yelich, who hit a 3 run home run, giving the Brewers a 4-0 lead.
When the 8th inning rolled around, the Brewers offense kept producing. Kolten Wong got it started, hitting a solo home run to right field, increasing the Brewers lead to 5-0. With Yelich on base, Adames leaned into a two run home run, this one going to left field and making the score 7-0 in favor of the Brewers.
Drawing the start for the Brewers was Brandon Woodruff. In his start, Woodruff threw a beauty, allowing just 4 hits and one walk while striking out 10 hitters in 6 shutout innings. After that, a bullpen combo of Taylor Rogers, Matt Bush, and Brent Suter kept the shutout intact.
Woodruff said of the key win that "Every game from here on out is important. We know we need to win. We know we’re gonna have to play good baseball going into September and October if we want to have a chance to make the playoffs. You never know, maybe tonight is the start of something pretty cool and hopefully we continue to play good baseball."
Opposing Woodruff was Drew Smyly of the Cubs, who also had a great start. He also pitched 6 shutout innings, allowing 5 hits and one walk. Rowan Wick came in for the 7th inning and imploded, allowing 4 runs while getting just one out. Michael Rucker came on and pitched the final 1 2/3 innings.
Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said of Wick's struggles that "We know what he can do when he's at his best. He filled in when Robertson was out for a little bit. I think just with all these guys, it's getting more opportunity in high-leverage situations. That's what we need to see. When we're making decisions and things for next year, getting them with some real high-leverage situations and letting them compete, I think, is crucial for everybody, but especially for him."
Up next, the Brewers and Cubs conclude their series on Sunday afternoon. The Brewers send Eric Lauer to the mound to start, while Adrian Sampson starts for the Cubs.
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