Brewers 1, Giants 4: Sad Saturday In San Francisco

Box Score

Starting Pitcher: Colin Rea - 6.0 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 89 pitches, 59 strikes (66.3%)
Home Runs: None 
Top 3 WPA: Brice Turang (.018), Rowdy Tellez (.009), Joey Wiemer (.000) 
Bottom 3 WPA: Owen Miller (-.126), Colin Rea (-.118), William Contreras (-.071) 

Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

Rea Gets First Quality Start
Rea got his first six-inning start and gave up just three earned runs, striking out four on the way. The third inning would be where he took the most damage, giving up a single to LaMonte Wade Jr. and then a 2-RBI home run to Thairo Estrada. The pitch was a sweeper that had 37 inches of vertical break but ended up too comfortably in the strike zone and eventually crushed into left field.

Somewhat of an interesting batted ball, it was a home run in 27/30 ballparks but had an xBA of just .270, partially due to a relatively low exit velocity of 97.6 mph and low distance of 376 feet. In comparison, Christian Yelich had a batted ball off of closer Camilo Doval that had an exit velocity of 101.7 mph, a total distance of 381 feet, and an xBA of .710 but ended up dropping down as a harmless flyout. 

After the third inning, Rea would retire the next nine batters in a row, capping off his promising start in dominant fashion. With five starts now under his belt, his ERA stands at 4.73 and his WHIP at 1.05, slightly above his career averages of 4.87 and 1.31.

Run Support Still Needed
The Brewers lineup had some moments but ultimately failed to back up the team’s pitching with the offense needed to clinch the victory. Hitting didn’t really start going until the fourth inning where the Brewers would load the bases off of a Willy Adames single, a Rowdy Tellez walk, and a Brice Turang single, but a groundout by Owen Miller would prevent the Brewers from scoring any runs.

After the Adames single, there was some conflict regarding whether Giants starter Alex Cobb had exceeded the number of allotted engagements and thus the Brewers believed that they were owed a balk. Following a heated discussion with the crew chief to argue his team’s case, Craig Counsell was ejected. He had already been frustrated with some called strikes and balls, so the general dissatisfaction with the umpiring in this game simply boiled over. 

The lone Brewers run would be scored in the ninth after Giants reliever John Brebbia would give up two consecutive walks to William Contreras and Brian Anderson followed by an RBI single to Owen Miller. It was enough pressure for the Giants to replace Brebbia after just four batters and one out for Doval to seal the deal.

Tyson Takes Two, Gives Up One
Tyson Miller would give his bullpen comrades a day of rest as he took on the final two innings of the game. He’d give up just one earned run in the form of a home run to rookie Brett Wisely, his first as a major leaguer. It seemed to be a changeup that hung up just a little too much, similar to Rea’s sweeper that similarly ended up in the seats.

Miller is still relatively new to the major leagues but has performed well thus far, boasting a 1.93 ERA over 4.2 innings pitched and a 0.64 WHIP. His endurance has been a strong suit as he’s shown the ability to make multi-inning relief appearances without significant degradation in performance, so he’ll likely be an integral part of the bullpen staff moving forward.

What’s Next? 
Adrian Houser is set to make his season debut after a stint on the 15-day IL caused by a right groin strain. His appearance may serve as a refreshing reset to what seems to be a slacking team and snap the current six-game losing streak that has seriously halted the positive momentum they had at the end of April. Let’s hope the team can finally put the pieces together and return to their winning ways.

Postgame Interviews

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