The Brewers couldn’t take advantage of their first chance to close out the Cubs, as they lost a 4-3 game at Wrigley Field tonight. Chicago took four places against Quinn Priest in the first inning, creating a 4-1 advantage from which the Milwaukee bats were unable to recover.
Priester didn’t get away with it the first time. Manager Pat Murphy used five pitchers – Nick Mears, Jose Quintana, Grant Anderson, Jared Koenig And Chad Patrick – to combine for 7 1/3 scoreless frames out of the bullpen. The damage was done, however, and the Brewers will have to try and close things out again tomorrow.
Neither Milwaukee nor the Cubs have announced a starter for tomorrow’s game, although ESPN’s Jesse Rogers reports that Chicago will return the ball to Matthew Boyd. The Brewers hit Boyd for six runs in the first inning of Game 1 and took the win behind Freddy Peralta. Milwaukee could return Peralta with four days of rest for the same game, although Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel notes that they have worked to give their starters an extra day of rest when possible during the season.
Saving Peralta for a possible Game 5 on Saturday would likely mean the Brewers would return to a bullpen game, which they did in Game 2. Aaron Ashby opened this game and gave up a three-run homer to Seiya Suzukibut the Brewers now blanked the Cubs and won 7-3. Hosting a bullpen game a day after their starter failed to escape the first inning isn’t ideal, but Murphy relied primarily on lower lever arms tonight. The Brewers stayed away from Ashby, Jacob Misiorowski, Abner Uribe And Trevor Megill entirely. Koenig only threw seven pitches and is surely still in the mix for tomorrow.
On the position player side, Jackson Chourio played the full eight innings in left field tonight. He went 1-4 with a strikeout. Chourio battled a lingering right hamstring injury and made early exits in favor of a defensive replacement. Brandon Lockridge in Games 1 and 2. It was mostly careless, with Milwaukee holding a decent lead.
In the meantime, Rhys Hoskins watching the NLDS from his dugout, a difficult outcome for a player who had a solid season. Even though he didn’t make the playoff roster, Hoskins remained involved as a teammate. “You have to play the hand you’ve been dealt and try to help these guys achieve the goal we’ve set for ourselves.” the first baseman told Hogg in a separate Journal Sentinel column.
With Andrew Vaughn And Jake Bauers handling first base duties, the Brewers opted for Lockridge to add an element of speed and provide cover for Chourio with their final roster spot. While Hoskins admitted to being frustrated, he accepted the role of supporting teammate after Murphy pushed to keep him in the mix. “It’s a great voice for these young players,“Murphy told Hogg.”He is also well respected and his authenticity really adds to our overall unit.»
The exclusion from the NLDS was not the first time Hoskins was sidelined this season. After the veteran injured his thumb in early July, Vaughn became a key cog in the middle of Milwaukee’s lineup. Hoskins was limited to bench duties once he joined the team in September. The left-handed Bauers provides more balance in a platoon with the right-handed Vaughn.
Hoskins was hitting .242/.340/.428 in 318 plate appearances when he was injured. That opened the door for Vaughn, who cemented himself in the lineup with a monster performance as soon as he was called up from Triple-A. Hoskins was limited to pinch-hitting in his return, going 1-10 in eight games.
There’s a good chance he’ll make his final appearance with the Brewers. The team will buy him out for $4 million instead of a mutual option of $18 million. He will be a free agent and will almost certainly head to a team that has more bats available at first base. Milwaukee could still trade Hoskins on the roster for the next few rounds of the playoffs if they advance, but they already have 14 position players. While Lockridge is likely the player they could trade, they will be reluctant to subtract outfield depth while Chourio is not at full strength.
