Instant Replay: Brewers 6, Phillies 1

Share

BOX SCORE

MILWAUKEE – The Phillies and Brewers entered their weekend series with two of the worst records in all of baseball, but it was the Phils who were left in the basement when it was all said and done.

The Brewers capped off a season sweep of the Phillies at Miller Park on Sunday with a 6-1 win, giving Milwaukee victories in all seven meetings between the two teams this year. It’s the first time the Phillies have been swept by Milwaukee in a season, and they came into 2015 with a 68-50 overall record against the Brewers.

After back-to-back nights when the offense couldn’t find key hits, Sunday’s game was a joint struggle. The offense got nothing going against rookie right-hander Taylor Jungmann, who set a career high with nine strikeouts along the way in 6 1/3 innings, and Phillies starter Aaron Harang was tagged for five runs in the fifth to put the Brewers ahead big.

After winning the first three games to open a nine-game road trip, the Phillies lost five of the final six.

Starting pitching report
Harang yielded a first-inning run after allowing a Jonathan Lucroy triple, but he was well in control for the next three innings. Things came apart in the fifth when the Brewers batted around, and Harang allowed six hits and a walk in the frame before leaving with a 6-0 deficit. The biggest blow was a grand slam by Ryan Braun, his 251st career home run to tie Robin Yount for the most in Brewers' history.

Harang allowed six runs and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings, with one walk and two strikeouts. He has surrendered 18 earned runs over his past three outings, covering 15 innings.

Bullpen report
Adam Loewen struck out Scooter Gennett to finally end the Brewers’ five-run fifth inning, then worked a clean sixth. It was his best of three outings since his remarkable climb back to the big leagues, though he allowed three batters to reach in the seventh with one out. Loewen made his first appearance in the big leagues since 2008 on Aug. 10.

Hector Neris entered and prevented anyone from scoring by retiring the final two batters of the frame. Neris also recorded the first two outs of the eighth, and Ceser Jimenez induced a soft line out from Logan Schafer to record the third.

At the plate
Through three innings, the Phillies had taken six balls and struck out seven times against Jungmann. The rookie struck out the side on 11 pitches in the first and 10 pitches in the third.

The Phils stranded three runners in scoring position combined in the fourth and fifth, plus another in the eighth. Jungmann has been a surprise for the Brewers this season and has not allowed more than two earned runs in his last 10 starts — and 12 of his 13 overall.

The team was still playing without third baseman Maikel Franco (wrist contusion), who has not seen action since getting hit with a pitch Tuesday. Chase Utley was given a day to rest after a torrid first two days of the series. 

Andres Blanco delivered the lone highlight of the day, a home run in the ninth against Neal Cotts to account for the only Phillies run. With two outs, the Phillies then loaded the bases against Cotts, prompting the Brewers to turn to closer Francisco Rodriguez, who earned his 29th save by inducing a groundout from Cesar Hernandez.

On the bases
Odubel Herrera stole his 13th base of the year in the third.

In the field
Shortstop Freddy Galvis made a glitzy sliding stop to retire Jean Segura in the second, and he also initiated a rundown in the seventh that helped keep the Brewers from scoring despite a runner at third with nobody out.

Blanco, starting at third base for the first time in the series, made an excellent diving, back-handed stop and threw out Shane Peterson to open the first inning.

Neither of the Phils’ two errors cost runs. Harang was charged with an error in the second when a toss by second baseman Cesar Hernandez glanced off his glove as he tried to cover first for the out. In the seventh, catcher Carlos Ruiz threw away a ball trying to stop Shane Peterson from taking second on a wild pitch, allowing Peterson to reach third with no outs.

Center fielder Herrera made a diving catch to rob Jungmann of a hit in the sixth.

Up next
In the midst of a chase for the American League East crown, the offensive powerhouse Toronto Blue Jays head to Philadelphia after Monday’s off day, and the Phillies return home briefly for a two-game stay at Citizens Bank Park.

Ironically, the best start delivered thus far by Aaron Nola (3-1, 4.25 ERA) is the only Nola start that ended in a Phillies loss, a 1-0 setback in his debut against Tampa Bay. Since, he’s gone 3-0 over four starts but has allowed seven runs over his past two outings (11 innings).

The Jays will counter with knuckleballer R.A. Dickey (7-10, 3.96), who’s quietly gone 4-1 with a 1.64 ERA in his last seven starts. Opponents have hit just .191 against him in that run. Toronto left the weekend ½ game behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East.

The Phils have lost their last eight games against Toronto, including four meetings last year.

Contact Us