Sunday, September 30, 2018 03:10 PM (ET)

Brewers pound Tigers to force NL Central tiebreaker

Field Level Media
Sep 30, 2018

Jesus Aguilar homered and drove in three runs, and the Milwaukee Brewers clinched a first-place tie in the National League Central by pummeling the visiting Detroit Tigers 11-0 on Sunday.

With the Cubs beating the Cardinals 10-5 later Sunday, the Brewers (95-67) will visit the Chicago Cubs (95-67) at Wrigley Field on Monday to decide the division title. The loser of that contest will play host to the NL wild-card game on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Dodgers or the Colorado Rockies, who play a tiebreaker Monday to determine the NL West champion.

Milwaukee finished the 162-game schedule on a seven-game winning streak.

Ryan Braun supplied two hits, two runs and two RBIs, while Orlando Arcia also drove in two runs. Travis Shaw added a solo homer.

Most Valuable Player candidate Christian Yelich went 0-for-2 with two walks and scored twice. Yelich was removed from the game during the top of the eighth and received a standing ovation from the home crowd.

Starter Gio Gonzalez (10-11) pitched the minimum five innings to get the victory. He scattered three hits and a walk while striking out two.

Detroit starter Spencer Turnbull (0-2) gave up four runs on five hits in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out a season-high seven and walked two.

The Tigers (64-98), who were swept in the three-game series, had two runners on with two outs in the first, but Mikie Mahtook grounded out.

Milwaukee scored two runs in the bottom of the inning. Yelich and Braun drew one-out walks. Following a fielder's choice, Yelich scored on Aguilar's infield hit. Mike Moustakas then ripped an RBI single to right.

Aguilar made it 3-0 when he drilled an opposite-field, leadoff homer in the fourth. It was his 35th long ball of the year.

The Brewers loaded the bases in the sixth on singles by Braun and Shaw and a walk drawn by Moustakas. Manny Pina's sacrifice fly knocked in Braun for a 4-0 advantage.

Milwaukee upped its lead to double digits with six runs in the seventh. Braun smoked a two-run double with the bases loaded and no outs. Following a groundout, another run scored on Aguilar's fielder's-choice grounder. When the throw home bounced past catcher James McCann, Braun also scored.

Arcia's two-run single made it 10-0.

Shaw's solo shot in the eighth, his 32nd of the season, capped the scoring.

--Field Level Media

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