Milwaukee Brewers' Brice Turang makes a late throw on a ball hit by Toronto Blue Jays' Spencer Horwitz in the third inning of a baseball game Wednesday, June 12, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)
Rookie Tobias Myers achieved consecutive wins for the first time, pitching six innings with just one run and three hits allowed as the Milwaukee Brewers edged the Toronto Blue Jays 5-4. Myers, 25, struck out four and walked one, improving his record to 3-2 and extending his winning streak to 3-0 in his last five starts.
Reflecting on his performance, Myers remarked, "I felt I executed my pitches well today, which allowed me to mix in some curveballs effectively in the fifth inning. It's a continuation of our momentum from last week."
Milwaukee narrowly avoided a ninth-inning comeback by Toronto, stranding the potential tying run at third base when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. flied out to deep center field. Blue Jays manager John Schneider acknowledged the disappointment of the close loss, noting, "It's tough. We fought back after they scored five, and we were inches away from taking the lead in the ninth."
The Brewers claimed victory in two of three games against the Blue Jays. Meanwhile, Toronto made headlines with the announcement of trading infielder-outfielder Cavan Biggio to the Los Angeles Dodgers for minor league pitcher Braydon Fisher. The Brewers, leading the NL Central, boast a strong home record of 20-11 and a solid road record of 20-17.
In the game, Davis Schneider launched his eighth home run of the season in the first inning against Myers, who maintained dominance by facing just one batter over the minimum for the remainder of his outing.
Chris Bassitt, Toronto's starting pitcher, kept Milwaukee scoreless through five innings despite allowing five hits. However, the Brewers loaded the bases in both the first and third innings but struggled, extending their hitless streak to 0 for 24 with runners in scoring position.
Milwaukee capitalized on Toronto's pitching change in the sixth inning when Zach Pop walked Blake Perkins and allowed a single to Brice Turang, setting up runners on the corners. Turang subsequently stole second base, and a throwing error by catcher Alejandro Kirk allowed Perkins to score on what was counted as a steal of home, while Turang advanced to third.
Reflecting on the pivotal play, Manager Schneider commented, "We've practiced that scenario before. It's a matter of executing the play cleanly."
The Brewers capitalized on their offensive opportunities, with William Contreras delivering a go-ahead single, Christian Yelich adding an RBI single, and Willy Adames sealing the deal with a two-run homer.
In the ninth inning, Spencer Horwitz managed an RBI single off Hoby Milner for Toronto, followed by Bo Bichette's RBI single and Kirk's sacrifice fly that brought the Blue Jays within one run. However, Brewers reliever Trevor Megill secured his 11th save of the season by retiring Guerrero, ending the game 5-4 in favor of Milwaukee.
On the injury front, Blue Jays outfielder Kevin Kiermaier was limited to a late-game defensive role due to a knee injury sustained the previous night, while Brewers third baseman Joey Ortiz underwent imaging for a left hamstring issue, with both teams expressing optimism about the injuries not being serious.
