Brewers pull off improbable 9th inning comeback, defeat Padres 5-4

That was a fun one.

Going into the bottom of the ninth up 4-1, the Padres had a 96.5% win probability according to ESPN.com. The Brewers had the bottom of the lineup due up to face Taylor Rogers, whose 17 saves are second only to Josh Hader for best in the league. That layed the foundation for a wild final half-inning that included a hit by Keston Hiura, two hits by pitches, and a bases-clearing triple by Jace Peterson. Andrew McCutchen capped off the night by ending an 0-32 slump with a walk-off single, giving the Brewers a 5-4 victory.

The Brewers’ bats struggled to get going in the first eight innings of Thursday’s contest. Left-hander Sean Manaea was dealing early, striking out seven batters through four innings while allowing just two hits. It wasn’t until the fifth that the Brewers were able to load the bases, thanks to singles from Kolton Wong and Jace Peterson and a Victor Caratini walk. Down 1-0 with the bases loaded and no outs, Andrew McCutchen drove in Wong on a fielder’s choice to the shortstop. Luis Urias would end the threat by hitting into a double play to end the inning but the game would be tied 1-1.

Manaea’s night would end after six strong innings. His final line was 6.0 innings, 5 hits, 8 strikeouts and 1 earned run. For the Brewers, Houser had another solid night. He was able to induce ground balls and kept the Padres off the score sheet until the fifth. After Manny Machado got on with a single, Eric Hosmer drove a fly ball to right field that went just past the reach of McCutchen, driving in Machado to give the Padres the lead. That would be the only blemish on the night for Houser, whose final line was 5.0 innings, 5 hits, 5 strikeouts and 1 earned run.

The game shifted once it went to the bullpens. Brent Suter was first out the pen for the Brewers and found trouble immediately. Sergio Alcantara led off with a double on the first pitch he saw, and Jorge Alfaro drove him in two batters later on a 416-foot home run to center field, giving the Padres a 3-1 lead. Suter would handle the sixth and seventh, giving up just those two runs. They then went to Peter Strzelecki eight, who was making his Major League debut. Strzelecki got one out and loaded the bases for Alcantara again, who this time drove in Luke Voit on a sac fly to center, making it a 4-1 game. Meanwhile, the Brewers’ offense could do nothing. Once Manaea left, a Wong hit by a pitch in the 7th and a Urias base hit was all the Brewers’ offense could muster up before the ninth.

We would go to the ninth and that’s when things started to get crazy. First, Strzelecki would keep it a 4-1 ballgame after giving up just one hit in the top of the ninth. In the bottom of the ninth, Keston Huira, who was 0-3 going into this at-bat, led off with a single. After Hiura got on, Wong and Caratini would follow back-to-back hit by pitches. Taylor Rogers had only hit three batters in 23 games in 2022 but plunked two Brewers in back-to-back at-bats.

Now with the bases loaded, red-hot Jace Peterson was up with a chance to drive them in. On a 3-1 pitch, Rogers left a sinker over the heart of the plate and Peterson drove it to center for an RBI triple, tying the game at 4-4. Still, with no outs, Andrew McCutchen came to the plate having gone without a hit in his last 32 plate appearances. 0-32 would become 1-33, as McCutchen got his 6th career walk-off on a base hit to center, driving in Peterson and giving the Brewers a 5-4 victory.

The walk-off victory would also give Peter Strzelecki his first career win in his major league debut. Off to their best start in franchise history, things continue to go right for the Brewers and it’s thanks in large part to the depth of their lineup. The bottom half of the lineup accounted for four of the eight hits, and guys such as Peterson and Tyrone Taylor are some of their hottest hitters. They will try to continue their winning ways tomorrow night, as Corbin Burnes goes against Joe Musgrove in game two. The first pitch is at 7:10 pm CT, and you can watch the action on Bally Sports Wisconsin or listen on the Brewers Radio Network.