Article: Brewers 2, Mets 1: It Only Takes One Shot To Win

[Jason Wang]

The Brewers struck down the Mets in the first game of a series in Queens, thanks to one mighty jolt by your favorite mullet-wearing rookie.

Image courtesy of © Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Box Score

Starting Pitcher: Colin Rea - 6.1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 86 pitches, 59 strikes (68.6%)
Home Runs: Joey Wiemer (11)
Top 3 WPA: Joey Wiemer (.299), Colin Rea (.220), Devin Williams (.178) 
Bottom 3 WPA: Owen Miller (-.166), Willy Adames (-.103), Jesse Winker (-.095) 

Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

Rea Stretches Out And Reaches For Six And A Third
In one of his longest starts this season, Rea went past six innings while giving up just one earned run, one of his best performances for the Brewers. He’s averaging right around 5 1/3 innings in his 13 starts this season, but after making quick work of the Mets early, he was able to find a few more outs.

His one earned run came by way of a Starling Marte single, followed by a stolen base and a throwing error by William Contreras that allowed Marte to move to third, eventually scoring on a sacrifice fly by Francisco Lindor. 

Overall, incredible stuff by Rea, as his pitching was an integral part of holding the Mets to just three hits and one run all game. His veteran craftiness and use of six different pitches kept the Mets dazed and confused enough for the Brewers to steal away the victory. He currently holds a 4.57 ERA and 1.22 WHIP over 69 innings pitched this season, just barely under his career averages of 4.80 and 1.32.

Bullpen Turns Off The Lights In Queens
It was another dazzling performance by one of the hottest bullpens in baseball. Hoby Milner, Elvis Peguero, and Devin Williams combined for a perfect 2 2/3 innings pitched, striking out two along the way. Despite their best efforts, the Mets simply could not make good contact and found themselves grounding and lining out five times. Williams was able to record his 14th save of the season, currently fifth in the National League.

The bullpen currently has five relievers with ERA below 3.00:

1. Devin Williams - 1.69
2. Joel Payamps - 2.29
3. Hoby Milner - 2.61
4. Bryse Wilson - 2.75
5. Elvis Peguero - 2.86

Wiemer Takes The Lead And Keeps It
The Brewers only scored in one inning, but it was enough. In the sixth inning, Drew Smith replaced Justin Verlander on the mound and gave up a single to Jesse Winker before recording two outs. 

Powered by whatever performance-enhancing substance is in that hair of his, Joey Wiemer hit yet another clutch home run, sending Winker and himself to home plate with a missile to center field. The ball had an exit velocity of 108.4 mph and traveled 422 feet, nearly enough for it to land in the East River.

That was, ultimately, the nail in the coffin for the home team, as the Brewers' incredible relief pitching made up for the lack of late offense as the team would maintain their precious 2-1 lead until the very last out.

What’s Next? 
Julio Teheran will seek to replicate Rea’s stellar outing as a fellow come-out-of-nowhere star, taking the mound against lefty David Peterson in the second game of the series. With today’s crucial win and recent momentum, the Brewers have reclaimed the lead in the NL Central, with half a game separating them and the second-place Cincinnati Reds and three games separating them from the third-place Chicago Cubs. 

Postgame Interviews

Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet

	THU	FRI	SAT	SUN	MON	TOT
Strzelecki	0	20	22	0	0	42
Milner	0	0	14	3	15	32
Peguero	0	0	3	19	6	28
Bush	0	9	19	0	0	28
Payamps	0	0	0	26	0	26
Williams	0	0	0	16	6	22
Houser	0	19	0	0	0	19
B Wilson	0	0	0	0	0	0

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[Jake McKibbin]

Peterson is intersting today, had a 1.62 WHIP and 5.6 walks per nine in AAA, still striking out guys but a ton of contact otherwise. But he's a lefty coming up... still this might be negated by the fact you'll have actual scouting reports on him given he's been around a while. The Brewers are basically facing Eric Lauer here

[Jason Wang]

3 hours ago, Jake McKibbin said:

Peterson is intersting today, had a 1.62 WHIP and 5.6 walks per nine in AAA, still striking out guys but a ton of contact otherwise. But he's a lefty coming up... still this might be negated by the fact you'll have actual scouting reports on him given he's been around a while. The Brewers are basically facing Eric Lauer here

He's been brutal in the majors so far, posting an 8.08 ERA over 39.0 innings pitched. He's been optioned since May but HOPEFULLY this is a chance for the team to score some runs off of a relatively green pitcher.