Brice Turang and Jake Bauers fueled a decisive five-run fifth inning, while Shane Drohan delivered another strong outing as the Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Los Angeles Angels 6-2 on Friday night.
Drohan worked six effective innings, striking out seven batters to help Milwaukee continue its strong run atop the National League Central. The Brewers have now won nine of their last 13 games, while the Angels dropped their fourth straight contest and fell to 19 losses in their last 24 games.
Milwaukee combined timely power hitting with another quality pitching performance to take control midway through the game and never allowed Los Angeles to recover.
Brewers Strike First
The Brewers opened the scoring in the second inning with patient at-bats and timely hitting.
Jake Bauers singled before Garrett Mitchell followed with another base hit. Rookie Cooper Pratt then delivered with two outs, dropping a single into shallow left field to score Bauers and give Milwaukee a 1-0 lead.
The Angels kept the deficit at one run through four innings, but the fifth inning changed the course of the game.
Five-Run Fifth Breaks It Open
Pratt sparked the rally by drawing a leadoff walk.
Turang followed by turning on an inside cutter from Angels starter Ryan Johnson and driving it 398 feet over the wall in left-center field for his 16th home run of the season. The two-run blast extended Milwaukee’s lead to 3-0.
Turang continued to strengthen an outstanding season in which he leads all major league second basemen in OPS, doubles, RBIs, runs scored and walks.
The Brewers kept the pressure on after Jackson Chourio singled and William Contreras worked a walk. That sequence ended Johnson’s night and brought José Fermin out of the Angels bullpen.
Bauers greeted the reliever with a towering three-run homer to right field. The drive left his bat at 110 mph and traveled 424 feet, stretching Milwaukee’s advantage to 6-0.
The two home runs gave the Brewers all the offense they would need.
Angels Show Brief Life
Los Angeles answered in the bottom of the fifth to avoid the shutout.
Vaughn Grissom opened the inning with a single before Denzer Guzman connected on an opposite-field two-run homer into the right-center field seats. The blast, Guzman’s fifth of the season, trimmed the deficit to 6-2.
The Angels, however, were unable to build any further momentum as Milwaukee’s bullpen quickly regained control.
Los Angeles managed only four hits during the game and failed to generate another scoring opportunity after the fifth inning.
Drohan Delivers Another Quality Start
Drohan continued his recent run of consistency on the mound.
The left-hander allowed two runs on four hits across six innings while walking one and striking out seven. He improved to 6-4 and recorded his fifth consecutive start of at least six innings.
His command and ability to limit hard contact kept the Angels from mounting any sustained offensive threat despite Guzman’s home run.
Drohan’s performance also allowed Milwaukee to hand the game over to its rested bullpen with a comfortable lead.
Brewers Bullpen Closes It Out
Milwaukee’s relievers combined to finish the final three innings without allowing a run.
Grant Anderson retired the side in order in the seventh before recording the first out of the eighth. Abner Uribe handled the next two batters to complete the inning.
Closer Trevor Megill pitched a perfect ninth inning, striking out one batter while sealing another Brewers victory.
The relief corps protected Drohan’s effort and prevented the Angels from threatening after their brief rally in the fifth.
Angels Continue Difficult Stretch
Ryan Johnson absorbed the loss after allowing five runs on six hits over 4 1/3 innings. The rookie battled through the early innings but could not contain Milwaukee’s lineup once the Brewers broke through in the fifth.
The defeat extended another difficult stretch for Los Angeles, which has now lost four straight games and seven of its last eight.
Milwaukee, meanwhile, continued to receive balanced contributions throughout its roster, with Turang and Bauers providing the biggest offensive moments and Drohan delivering another dependable start.
Up Next
The three-game series continued Saturday night with Milwaukee scheduled to send left-hander Robert Gasser, who entered at 3-4 with a 4.71 ERA, to the mound against Angels right-hander José Soriano, who carried a 9-6 record and a 3.29 ERA.