Brewers 7, Angels 5: Insert Cruel Angels Joke Here

Box Score

Starting Pitcher: Corbin Burnes - 6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 91 pitches, 59 strikes (64.8%)
Home Runs: None
Top 3 WPA: Corbin Burnes (.184), Owen Miller (.129), William Contreras (.118) 
Bottom 3 WPA: Elvis Peguero (-.085), Mike Brosseau (-.040), Luke Voit (-.030) 

Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

O Burnes, Where Art Thou 
For the past three years, Brewers fans have been spoiled by having a dominant ace on the mound. Corbin Burnes owns a 2.62 ERA and 11.9 K/9 from 2020-2022. In fact, we’ve been spoiled so much that a five-strikeout performance is still somewhat disappointing, even if it meant conceding just one earned run in a six-inning outing.

Burnes showed flashes of greatness, pairing a savage cutter with a sickening slider to strike out Taylor Ward and Hunter Renfroe, but we’re still waiting with bated breath for a return to his true, peak form. Compared to his stats from 2020-2022, his ERA and K/9 for 2023 currently stand at 4.01 and 7.22.

Angels Mistakes Save The Day
Like the first game of the series, this was a close one. Unlike the first game of the series, there was plenty of scoring to go around. Milwaukee really only strung together offense in the third and fifth innings, but in those frames, they did plenty.

After a Victor Caratini walk and a double by Owen Miller, Joey Wiemer hit a groundout to allow Caratini to score, followed by an RBI single by Willy Adames to score Miller and an RBI double by William Contreras to score Adames.

In the fifth inning, third baseman and bane of the Athletics’ fanbase Anthony Rendon made a crucial fielding error to allow Christian Yelich to reach, loading the bases and allowing a Contreras walk to score the first run of the inning. Jesse Winker then hit a two-run single to left field, bringing the score to 6-1. 

The Brewers loaded the bases on a Brian Anderson hit-by-pitch, before another Caratini walk made the score 7-1, a comfortable lead for the Brewers to ride through to the end of the game.

The sixth inning got a little heated, however, as Adames and Craig Counsell were ejected for arguing an umpire’s refusal to grant Adames time and calling a pitch clock violation instead.

But it’s okay because in the first half of the inning, Wiemer made this gracious diving to retire the side and get a toothy smile from Corbin.

Brewers Bullpen Gives Angels Fans False Hope
In the recap of the first game of this series, I wrote about how underrated the bullpen has been this season, showing up when needed most and getting crucial outs to secure victory in close games. Of course, even good units have bad days.

At the beginning of the eighth inning, Milwaukee had a six-run lead and was on cruise control, with a 99.3% probability of winning the game. While facing his former teammate Mike Trout, relative newcomer Elvis Peguero gave up a two-run home run to close the lead slightly. In the ninth inning, a sense of deja vu fell over American Family Field as Mike Trout hit another two-run home run against Bryse Wilson.

While Wilson had already earned two outs and the Brewers needed just one more to close the show, Milwaukee brought out Devin Williams after Ohtani hit a single just in case. He was able to keep his spotless ERA and avoid a potentially embarrassing blown lead.

What's Next?
Colin Rea will take the mound across from lefty Jose Suarez, the third consecutive left-handed starter the Brewers lineup will face. The team is still two wins behind the Pittsburgh Pirates, who currently lead the division with a 20-8 record. They are tied with the Atlanta Braves for the second-most wins in the National League and seem competitive for a playoff spot, barring any major injuries or regressions in performance. Let’s hope they keep up the good work!

Postgame Interviews

Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet

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