In Milwaukee on Friday night, the Brewers claimed a 5-3 win over the Athletics, led by Christian Yelich’s three RBIs and Caleb Durbin’s impressive start in the major leagues.
Freddy Peralta showcased a strong performance on the mound for the Brewers, throwing 93 pitches over five scoreless innings and yielding seven hits. As the game advanced to the fourth inning, Jackson Chourio’s RBI double followed by Yelich’s single gave Milwaukee a 2-0 lead against the Athletics’ pitcher J.T. Ginn.
The Brewers extended their advantage in the fifth inning. After Brice Turang’s two-out single and subsequent stolen base, Yelich delivered again with a base hit, expanding the lead to 3-0. Though the Athletics responded in the sixth with JJ Bleday walking, followed by scoring on a forceout by Gio Urshela, the Brewers continued to counter. Rookie Caleb Durbin, making his debut felt, hit a single to start the seventh inning and scored on another groundout by Yelich.
Despite Athletics’ late efforts, including Bryan Hudson allowing two runs in the ninth, closer Trevor Megill managed to secure the game, earning his second save after getting the final outs. Ginn, who started for the Athletics, concluded his stint permitting three runs on four hits with an impressive seven strikeouts over 4 1/3 innings.
A pivotal moment in the matchup came when Bryan Hudson allowed consecutive walks prior to Brent Rooker’s double which narrowed the score and brought MLB home run leader Tyler Soderstrom to bat as the potential tying threat. Megill stepped in to manage the situation, retiring Soderstrom on a sacrifice fly and striking out Shea Langeliers, clinching a third consecutive win for the Brewers.
On the roster front, the Brewers made a strategic move, optioning Oliver Dunn with his major league-worst statistics to Triple-A Nashville, thus paving the way for Caleb Durbin’s debut, a player who recently joined from the Yankees in the Devin Williams trade.
Looking towards the next game, the Athletics are set to have right-hander Luis Severino with a record of 0-3 and an ERA of 4.01, facing off against Brewers rookie right-hander Chad Patrick, who holds a 1-0 record and a 1.76 ERA, on Saturday night.