Aguilar powers Brewers to series win over Rockies
The Sports Xchange
Aug 20, 2017
DENVER -- Jesus Aguilar continued his power surge Sunday for the Milwaukee Brewers, hitting two home runs as they beat the Colorado Rockies 8-4 in the rubber game of the series and moved closer in the wild-card hunt.
Brewers starter Chase Anderson (7-2) gave up two hits and one first-inning run in five innings in his first start for Milwaukee since he sustained a strained left oblique on June 28.
Aguilar tied the game at 1 with a homer in the second inning and then belted a two-run shot to center in the seventh, a 441-foot blast that put the Brewers ahead 5-1.
On Saturday night, Aguilar delivered a two-run pinch-hit homer with two outs in the ninth off closer Greg Holland. That homer broke a 3-3 tie and steered the Brewers to a 6-3 win.
The multi-homer game was the second of Aguilar's career. The other was this season on July 7 at the New York Yankees.
Despite their ninth loss in 13 games, the Rockies remained one game ahead of Arizona in the National League wild-card race. The Brewers are 2 1/2 games behind the Diamondbacks.
Aguilar's second homer came against Tyler Chatwood, a demoted starter making his fourth relief appearance of the season. It was Aguilar's 14th homer of the season.
Chatwood came on after left-hander Chris Rusin gave up an infield single to left-handed hitting Travis Shaw. The right-handed hitting Aguilar walloped Chatwood's 1-0 fastball that registered 96.2 mph.
Anderson showed some rust in his 73-pitch outing walking a season-high tying three batters and hitting two after hitting four batters in 90 1/3 innings before he was injured.
Jacob Barnes relieved Anderson and gave up leadoff single to Gerardo Parra. He took second on a wild pitch and moved to third on a ground out. Barnes walked Carlos Gonzalez, but struck out Trevor Story and got pinch hitter Jonathan Lucroy to ground out.
Pinch hitter Neil Walker's single off Rusin in the sixth gave Milwaukee a 3-1 lead. The run was charged to Rockies starter Kyle Freeland, who issued consecutive two-out walks. Walker greeted Rusin with an opposite-field single to right.
Freeland (11-8) gave up four hits and three runs (two earned) in 5 2/3 innings with a career-high five walks and seven strikeouts. Normally Freeland is able to get an abundance of outs on ground balls. But not so Sunday, when he got four outs on ground balls, including two on sacrifices.
Ryan Braun's sacrifice fly to deep right-center with the bases loaded in the fifth put the Brewers ahead 2-1. Orlando Arcia drew a leadoff walk, stole second and was sacrificed to third by Anderson.
Anderson gave up a run in the first on Mark Reynolds' sacrifice fly but dodged a big inning. He loaded the bases that inning on Charlie Blackmon's leadoff single, a walk and hit Parra with a pitch. But after Reynolds delivered a run, Anderson got Carlos Gonzalez to fly out.
Anderson hit Blackmon with a pitch to open the third. He was thrown out attempting to steal, a call the Rockies unsuccessfully challenged. Anderson then issued consecutive walks but got Parra to pop out and struck out Reynolds.
After giving up a leadoff double to Gonzalez in the fourth, Anderson retired the next three batters and set the side down in order in the fifth, his final inning.
The Brewers tacked on a run in the eighth on a ground out, and Reynolds got that run back in the bottom of the inning when he hit his 26th home run. Keon Broxton singled home two runs in the ninth.
The Rockies scored twice in the ninth, forcing Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell to summon closer Corey Knebel with two outs and runners at the corners. He struck out pinch hitter Mike Tauchman to earn his 26th save in 31 chances and end a 4-hour, 4-minute marathon.
NOTES: Brewers RHP Chase Anderson (left oblique strain) was reinstated to start Sunday, and RHP Brandon Woodruff was optioned to Triple-A Colorado Springs. ... The Rockies, who finished 3-4 on a homestand that began against Atlanta, last won consecutive games when they won three straight Aug. 3-5. ... Brewers 1B Jesus Aguilar has three homers and five RBIs over the past two games.
Aug 20, 2017
DENVER -- Jesus Aguilar continued his power surge Sunday for the Milwaukee Brewers, hitting two home runs as they beat the Colorado Rockies 8-4 in the rubber game of the series and moved closer in the wild-card hunt.
Brewers starter Chase Anderson (7-2) gave up two hits and one first-inning run in five innings in his first start for Milwaukee since he sustained a strained left oblique on June 28.
Aguilar tied the game at 1 with a homer in the second inning and then belted a two-run shot to center in the seventh, a 441-foot blast that put the Brewers ahead 5-1.
On Saturday night, Aguilar delivered a two-run pinch-hit homer with two outs in the ninth off closer Greg Holland. That homer broke a 3-3 tie and steered the Brewers to a 6-3 win.
The multi-homer game was the second of Aguilar's career. The other was this season on July 7 at the New York Yankees.
Despite their ninth loss in 13 games, the Rockies remained one game ahead of Arizona in the National League wild-card race. The Brewers are 2 1/2 games behind the Diamondbacks.
Aguilar's second homer came against Tyler Chatwood, a demoted starter making his fourth relief appearance of the season. It was Aguilar's 14th homer of the season.
Chatwood came on after left-hander Chris Rusin gave up an infield single to left-handed hitting Travis Shaw. The right-handed hitting Aguilar walloped Chatwood's 1-0 fastball that registered 96.2 mph.
Anderson showed some rust in his 73-pitch outing walking a season-high tying three batters and hitting two after hitting four batters in 90 1/3 innings before he was injured.
Jacob Barnes relieved Anderson and gave up leadoff single to Gerardo Parra. He took second on a wild pitch and moved to third on a ground out. Barnes walked Carlos Gonzalez, but struck out Trevor Story and got pinch hitter Jonathan Lucroy to ground out.
Pinch hitter Neil Walker's single off Rusin in the sixth gave Milwaukee a 3-1 lead. The run was charged to Rockies starter Kyle Freeland, who issued consecutive two-out walks. Walker greeted Rusin with an opposite-field single to right.
Freeland (11-8) gave up four hits and three runs (two earned) in 5 2/3 innings with a career-high five walks and seven strikeouts. Normally Freeland is able to get an abundance of outs on ground balls. But not so Sunday, when he got four outs on ground balls, including two on sacrifices.
Ryan Braun's sacrifice fly to deep right-center with the bases loaded in the fifth put the Brewers ahead 2-1. Orlando Arcia drew a leadoff walk, stole second and was sacrificed to third by Anderson.
Anderson gave up a run in the first on Mark Reynolds' sacrifice fly but dodged a big inning. He loaded the bases that inning on Charlie Blackmon's leadoff single, a walk and hit Parra with a pitch. But after Reynolds delivered a run, Anderson got Carlos Gonzalez to fly out.
Anderson hit Blackmon with a pitch to open the third. He was thrown out attempting to steal, a call the Rockies unsuccessfully challenged. Anderson then issued consecutive walks but got Parra to pop out and struck out Reynolds.
After giving up a leadoff double to Gonzalez in the fourth, Anderson retired the next three batters and set the side down in order in the fifth, his final inning.
The Brewers tacked on a run in the eighth on a ground out, and Reynolds got that run back in the bottom of the inning when he hit his 26th home run. Keon Broxton singled home two runs in the ninth.
The Rockies scored twice in the ninth, forcing Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell to summon closer Corey Knebel with two outs and runners at the corners. He struck out pinch hitter Mike Tauchman to earn his 26th save in 31 chances and end a 4-hour, 4-minute marathon.
NOTES: Brewers RHP Chase Anderson (left oblique strain) was reinstated to start Sunday, and RHP Brandon Woodruff was optioned to Triple-A Colorado Springs. ... The Rockies, who finished 3-4 on a homestand that began against Atlanta, last won consecutive games when they won three straight Aug. 3-5. ... Brewers 1B Jesus Aguilar has three homers and five RBIs over the past two games.
