Brewers Trip Up Rockies In Walk-Off Fashion
For a Brewers team lacking in postseason experience, Mike Moustakas is one of the few who is not a stranger to the thrills of the MLB postseason.
The Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Colorado Rockies 3-2 in 10 innings on Thursday at Miller Park in Game 1 of the NLDS to take a 1-0 series lead.
Mike Moustakas would play the role of hero as the his two-out RBI single in the tenth inning helped the Brewers avoid tumbling out of the gate to begin the NLDS.
Moustakas, who was apart of the Kansas City Royals championship team from 2015 season, was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers back in late July.
Milwaukee acquired the slugging first baseman hoping to add to a team that already had Moustakas’s former teammate and also MLB world champion Lorenzo Cain on it for moments like Thursday night.
The hit was Moustakas’ only of the game as he finished the game 1-for-4 with a RBI.
Joakim Soria (1-0) would pick up the win out of the bullpen as he pitched a scoreless tenth inning.
Adam Ottavino (0-1), who gave up a run on Tuesday in the NL Wildcard, would be stuck with a loss after giving up the walk-off hit to Moustakas in extras.
Christian Yelich, continuing his amazing 2018 into the postseason, went 2-for-3 with 2 RBIs and a walk as he blasted a home run in Milwaukee’s victory.
In Milwaukee’s first playoff appearance since 2011 season in which they last won the NL Central before this year, the Brewers bullpen stymied a potent Colorado Rockies offense.
Milwaukee Brewers’ right-hander Brandon Woodruff would get the start the for Game 1 and would look stellar in a unusual spot.
The reliever would allow one base runner in three innings while striking out three in a scoreless start. He would be relieved after 48 pitches by Corbin Burnes, who would throw two scoreless innings for Milwaukee.
After failing to get a run on the board against Colorado Rockies right-hander Antonio Senzatela in the first two innings, the team would breakthrough in the third.
Milwaukee Brewers’ right fielder Christian Yelich sent a first pitch changeup out of Miller Park for a two-run home run in the third inning to put the Brewers out in front 2-0.
Antonio Senzatela would allow two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out one batter over five innings of work.
Bud Black’s team would get their first runner to second base in the sixth inning thanks to a walk followed by a steal by pinch-hitter Ryan McMahon, but that runner would be stranded after reliever Milwaukee Brewers’ reliever Corey Knebel retired DJ LeMahieu to end the inning.
While Milwaukee’s offense threatened with runners in the sixth and seventh inning and loaded the bases in the eighth, they would fail to score vs Colorado’s stellar bullpen.
After reliever Josh Hader pitched two dominant innings for the Brewers, reliever Jeremy Jeffress would come in to close out the ninth inning.
He would run into trouble as singles by Gerardo Parra and Matt Holiday to begin the inning gave a Rockies offense limited to one hit through eight innings signs of life.
Back to the top of the order for Colorado, center fielder Charlie Blackmon would continue Colorado’s frantic rally. Blackmon would hit a RBI single to trim Milwaukee’s lead to 2-1.
Third baseman Nolan Arenado would tie the game at 2-2 with a RBI sac fly as the Rockies capitalized on a fielding error by shortstop Orlando Arcia.
Jeffress would recover to retire the next two Rockies batters to end the inning, but damage had been down vs a bullpen that looked strong for eight innings.
Looking to avoid a major setback to begin the series, Mike Moustakas would deliver.
With fans in the crowd chanting his name, the Milwaukee Brewers first baseman would hit the game-winning RBI single off reliever Adam Ottavino on a 0-2 fastball to give the Brewers a dramatic walk-off victory.
Milwaukee Brewers’ skipper Craig Counsell’s decision to go with one of his better relievers out of the bullpen to begin Game 1 didn’t backfire, but unexpectedly having to pull Josh Hader in the eighth inning for a pinch-hitter did.
Still, Counsell and Brewers will take a game they nearly coughed up as they own the 1-0 series edge.
Colorado got a strong outing out of Antonio Senzatela, marking a second straight strong outing by a Colorado Rockies starting pitcher, but the offense was absent for all but the ninth inning on Thursday.
It’s the third consecutive game where the Rockies have been held to two runs or less dating back to Monday’s NL West Tiebreaker game.
Colorado is a combined with 2-for-20 with RISP and batting 19-for-110 (.172) as a team in that span, numbers that have to change to avoid falling into a 0-2 series hole vs Milwaukee tomorrow.
Jhoulys Chacin will take the ball for the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 2 looking to help Milwaukee to a 2-0 series lead as he’ll face Colorado Rockies left-hander Tyler Anderson on Friday.
First pitch for Game 2 is scheduled for 4:15 pm/ET at Miller Park.
What are your thoughts on Game 1 of the NLDS between the Milwaukee Brewers and Colorado Rockies? Leave your comments below!
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