Anderson’s start spoiled as Brewers fall to D-Backs 11-1

PHOENIX — Chase Anderson gave the Milwaukee Brewers six innings, allowing just one earned run, but the offense only recorded four hits in an 11-1 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday evening.

A big part of Arizona’s success was its starting pitching. Robbie Ray competed with Anderson, but lasted into the seventh inning without allowing a run while striking out 12. It was Ray’s third straight start with at least 10 Ks, but Brewers manager Craig Counsell didn’t let that fact distract him from his own team’s great starting pitching.

“The thing was as advertised,” Counsell said. “The two guys threw the ball very well. [Anderson] was really good. They had a few good at-bats off him in the first inning. He pitched out of a few tough situations. Made a good pitch and struck out [Jake] Lamb, who’s a really good hitter, in the sixth. I was really proud of him. It was another excellent start for Chase.”

The floodgates opened once Anderson exited the game, as the Diamondbacks hit three home runs in the seventh inning and another in the eighth to put the game out of reach.

Outfielder Keon Broxton accounted for the only Brewers offense, a solo home run in the ninth inning. But many of the fans’ eyes were on left field as top Brewers prospect Lewis Brinson made his Major League debut. He was 0-for-2 at the plate with a strikeout and two walks.

Outfielder Brett Phillips (who debuted June 5) made an appearance as a pinch hitter, while Josh Hader saw no playing time.

    Villar injured in 8-6 win over D-Backs

    PHOENIX — The Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 8-6 Friday night, but it came at the cost of second baseman Jonathan Villar, who left in the eighth inning after a diving attempt to catch a ball heading into right field.

    “He has pretty good back spasms, it’s really locked up,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “The back really tightened up.”

    Counsell said Villar’s back spasms were a result of the collision with the ground and x-rays will be taken and analyzed on Saturday.

    As for the game itself, Zach Davies threw five innings with four hits and four runs (three earned) and would have stayed in for another inning had it not been for Paul Goldschmidt’s RBI single in the fifth.

    That RBI tied the game at 4, but Jesus Aguilar would put the Brewers ahead for good with a two-RBI double in the top of the sixth inning. Manny Pina and Orlando Arcia finished with three-hit performances.

    Corey Knebel was masterful out of the bullpen, recording his eighth save of the year. He struck out three batters in 1.1 innings, adding to his total of 57 Ks on the season and 13 this month. Knebel’s season ERA dips to an impressive 1.15 on the year, allowing just 4 earned runs over 31.1 innings.

      Nelson, Santana lead Brewers in 9-5 win over Diamondbacks

      MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Brewers finished off a home stand and a four-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks in style, using the arm of Jimmy Nelson and the bat of Domingo Santana for a 9-5 win.

      The victory solidified Milwaukee’s lead in the National League Central while handing Arizona its first back-to-back loss in two weeks. Nelson went seven innings with a season-high 10 strikeouts and just one earned run.

      Santana provided a good bit of run support, smacking the Crew’s first grand slam of the season in the fourth inning. It was also the first grand slam by a Brewer at Miller Park since Ryan Braun did so in August of 2015. Santana finished 2-for-4 with four RBIs.

      If there was a downside to the 9-5 win, it was the relief appearance by Oliver Drake. He allowed four earned runs on three hits without retiring a single batter.

      Second baseman Jonathan Villar was dropped to seventh in the batting order because of a recent hitting slump. He finished 2-for-4 at the plate while scoring a run.

        Anderson nearly perfect in 6-1 win over Arizona

        MILWAUKEE — Chase Anderson took a no-hitter into the eighth inning to lead the Milwaukee Brewers to a 6-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks Saturday afternoon at Miller Park.

        Anderson’s career-high 11 strikeouts not only ended Milwaukee’s five-game skid, but snapped a six-game winning streak for Arizona. The Brewers teed off on former teammate Zack Greinke, tagging him for five earned runs over 5.2 innings. Then he was asked about his performance compared to Anderson’s.

        “It seemed like the whole team played pretty terrible today, including myself,” Greinke said. “I mean, he almost threw a no-hitter, so it was a pretty bad game.”

        Anderson took a career-high 111 pitches into the eighth inning before shortstop Nick Ahmed ended his no-hitter with a leadoff single. But Anderson wasn’t too upset.

        “You don’t get the opportunity to do that all the time. You’d like to finish that, get that no hitter, get the shutout, but the fans, the way they support us in this town, I’ve never experienced anything like that. Just give them a little bit of a hat tip back to them, [show] my gratitude for what they’ve done for us and the support they always give us.”

        At the time of the win, Milwaukee had pulled even with the Chicago Cubs for the National League Central lead, a title they relinquished  after losing five straight.

          Tempers flare as Brewers fall to Diamondbacks 4-2

          MILWAUKEE — Frustrations appeared to grow for the Milwaukee Brewers after a 4-2 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks in a 10-inning contest at Miller Park Friday night.

          Not only was it Milwaukee’s fifth straight loss, but Brewers manager Craig Counsell was ejected in the sixth inning for arguing with an umpire. The call in question was a missed scoring opportunity where first baseman Eric Thames was called out at home plate while trying to score from third base on a passed ball. The Diamondbacks recovered the ball in time to tag Thames out. The former Korean League star couldn’t help but notice things were stacking up against them.

          “Yeah, it’s just [laughs] it’s baseball,” Thames began. “Our team is showing heart, but everything that can go wrong — I mean, knock on wood, I wouldn’t want anyone to get hurt or anything, but besides that, everything’s going wrong.”

          Thames was 0-for-4 at the plate while striking out twice. Jett Bandy and Hernan Pérez accounted for Milwaukee’s only scoring, with each driving in one run. Bandy’s RBI came on a solo home run in the sixth inning.

          On a positive note for Milwaukee, Opening Day starter Junior Guerra rejoined the rotation to throw 5.2 innings of one-run ball, while striking out five Arizona batters. He returned from a calf strain suffered on the first game of the season, recently throwing a pair of minor league rehab games.

          The Chicago Cubs took over first place in the National League Central, with Milwaukee trailing in second by a half game.

            Report: Packers, Browns showing interest in former Cardinals CB Josh Hill

            GREEN BAY, Wis. — According to a report from the National Football Post, the Green Bay Packers and Cleveland Browns are looking into former Arizona Cardinals cornerback Josh Hill.

            Hill last played in the NFL in August of 2013 as an undrafted rookie out of California, but since his release, he’s not cracked an NFL roster and had even retired from professional football. But recently uploaded workout videos may give teams reason to give the 27-year-old a look.

            During his four years at Cal, Hill logged 214 total tackles with four interceptions, though his size (5′ 9-3/4″) and NFL Scouting Combine numbers (4.69 40-yard dash) still leave more to be desired.

              Chase Anderson loses arbitration case against Brewers

              MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Chase Anderson was hoping to head into the 2017 season already with a win under his belt, but it was revealed on Tuesday that he had lost his salary arbitration case against Milwaukee, and will make $2.45 million this season.

              Anderson was hoping to make $2.85 million, but when the Brewers didn’t budge from their suggested salary of $2.45 million, the case was sent to an independent arbitrator.

              While it wasn’t revealed what factored into the decision to rule in favor of the Brewers, Anderson’s 2016 numbers likely played a role. After coming to a hitter-friendly Miller Park from Chase Field (one pitchers are more in control), Anderson’s numbers took a slight dip. He averaged a 4.18 ERA in his two seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks, but just a 4.39 ERA in Milwaukee. He gave up 1.1 home runs per nine innings with the D-Backs to the 1.7 he allowed with the Brewers. His strikeout: walk ratio also declined, from 2.70 to 2.26.

              Anderson is among seven pitchers hoping to make the five-man starting rotation.