Jackson Chourio’s first career walk-off hit gives Brewers 3-2 victory

Wild game ends in series sweep as Brewers secure extra-innings walk-off

Box Score

With some extra-inning heroics, Andrew Vaughn and Jackson Chourio combined Wednesday afternoon to give the Brewers a 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in a series sweep.

Despite the low scoreline, the game was packed with tension. There were full counts, loaded bases, and plenty of close plays. Of course, some late-game fireworks made the slow buildup all the more rewarding.

Jose Quintana set the pace for the tight matchup, pitching six excellent innings. He dabbled around the edges of the zone, part of what led to his four walks, but it all paid off as he allowed just two hits. His changeup was his second-most-used pitch, but he struggled with command, spiking the pitch several times. Despite this, he tallied four strikeouts while finishing six innings for the second time since April 22.

He received plenty of help from his defense, too. Isaac Collins made a sliding catch in the second inning, and Sal Frelick made a notable catch in the next inning to retire Shohei Ohtani.

The only run Quintana surrendered came in a lengthy fifth inning. The margins were tight, but to escape with only one run against his ledger was another impressive feat for Quintana’s outing. He retired the first two batters, but after walking Miguel Rojas and allowing a single to Esteury Ruiz, the situation grew complicated. Ruiz stole second base to get both runners in scoring position.

Back-to-back walks to James Outman and Ohtani certainly seemed like it would spell the end of his day, but Quintana remained in the game after a mound visit from manager Pat Murphy. He resorted to his changeup for the first pitch against Mookie Betts, who flew out to right field to end the inning with a 1-0 lead for Los Angeles.

The Dodgers would score their second run in the seventh inning, another chaotic frame filled with pinch-hitters and free passes. Aaron Ashby, fresh in for Quintana, allowed two of his first three batters to reach, including pinch-hitter Teoscar Hernandez, who was immediately lifted for pinch-runner Hyeseong Kim. A double steal and another walk to Ohtani loaded the bases, and the Brewers pulled the lever to go back to the bullpen.

Nick Mears came in and gave up a sacrifice fly to Betts and walked Will Smith, but held firm to retire the third out of the inning. The Dodgers held a 2-1 lead, but given the number of runners that had reached this game, it was a prime opportunity to steal a win from an uncertain game.

The Brewers’ offense likewise had difficulties scraping runs across the plate. Against Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow, Milwaukee inflated his pitch count early, but couldn’t build on that momentum. In the second inning, Christian Yelich singled before Collins and Caleb Durbin walked, but Glasnow halted them in their tracks. Jake Bauers fouled out on a ball that nearly fell into the stands, and Joey Ortiz struck out to end the inning.

Despite that extended inning, the Brewers went three-up, three-down in the third inning to help Glasnow regain a steady presence deeper into the game. He finished five innings on just 85 pitches, giving up three walks but tallying five strikeouts.

The only run that scored against Glasnow came through a bizarre sequence of events in the fifth inning when Bauers led off with a walk. It was a balk that pushed Bauers to second base. He attempted to steal third base, and while he easily would have been tagged out, a throwing error from Will Smith instead gave the Brewers their first run of the afternoon.

The Brewers didn’t get another runner into scoring position until the bottom of the eighth, when Frelick stole second base, but an immediate out limited the Brewers to one final chance. One batter prior, Contreras had smashed his bat on a pitch he thought he could have done more damage with. He had already hit two balls over 100 mph earlier in the game, so his frustration was understandable as the Brewers still trailed 2-1.

In the bottom of the ninth, facing Dodgers pitcher Tanner Scott, Collins caught a low slider for a leadoff single. Durbin found a base hit of his own to bring up Andrew Vaughn as a pinch-hitter in another huge spot. So early in his Milwaukee tenure, Vaughn has already found the spotlight, once again making the most of his opportunity with a game-tying single on the first pitch he saw.

Tied 2-2, the Brewers still had two outs remaining. Andruw Monasterio struck out, and Frelick grounded out, sending the game to extras.

In another addition to the dramatic flair for the afternoon, reliever Trevor Megill entered to shut down Los Angeles with three consecutive strikeouts. His third, against Tommy Edman, was a 101-mph fastball above the zone. As Edman whiffed, Megill walked off the mound screaming and pumping his fists, sending the game to the bottom of the 10th.

The Dodgers gave Kirby Yates the ball to handle the bottom of the 10th. Contreras connected for a deep fly ball near the warning track, allowing Frelick to advance to third base. The winning runner was 90 feet away with Jackson Chourio at the plate. Contreras was unable to find the big hit this game, but it was enough here to simply move the runner.

With the infield in, Chourio slapped a grounder through the gap, sending Frelick home for another win. The 3-2 win meant the Brewers swept the Dodgers, another highly electric win for the Crew. The scoreline might not impress, but the Brewers found a clutch comeback late in the game.

Chourio’s first career walk-off means the Brewers now boast a four-game winning streak as they continue to close the gap on the Cubs in the NL Central.

The Brewers managed the stifle Los Angeles’ dangerous offense by using seven different pitchers. While it was an unorthodox game, the key stat was that the Dodgers went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position.

Milwaukee has an off day tomorrow, but they’ll stay home for a series against the Washington Nationals on Friday. First pitch for that game is set for 7:10 p.m.