Field Level Media
Sep 8, 2018
Left-hander Gio Gonzalez pitched effectively for 5 2/3 innings in his Milwaukee debut Saturday night, helping the Brewers hold off the San Francisco Giants 4-3 in Milwaukee.
Travis Shaw and Christian Yelich homered for the Brewers (81-62), who pushed one game farther ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals (78-64) in their duel for the first wild card in the National League. Milwaukee is now 2 1/2 games ahead.
Gonzalez (8-11), acquired Aug. 31 from the Washington Nationals, limited the Giants to one unearned run and three hits in his 5 2/3 innings. He walked one and struck out seven.
The veteran had lost his last three decisions for the Nationals, bombed for 20 runs and 28 hits in 20 2/3 innings over four starts.
Gonzalez left with a 4-1 lead thanks to Shaw's two-out solo shot in the first, a two-run fourth that featured an RBI double by Mike Moustakas and Yelich's one-out solo homer in the fifth.
The homers were the 28th of the season for both Shaw and Yelich.
All four Brewers runs came against Giants starter Chris Stratton (9-9), who allowed four hits and three walks in five innings. He struck out six.
The Giants rallied within 4-3 in the eighth on a pinch-hit home run by Ryder Jones, the second in four games this season for the September call-up.
A two-out walk to Brandon Crawford, single by Evan Longoria and wild pitch advanced the potential tying and go-ahead runs into scoring position, before Jeremy Jeffress struck out Hunter Pence to retain the one-run lead.
Jeffress then worked around a two-out walk to Chris Shaw in the ninth for his 10th save, giving the Brewers a second win in two nights against the reeling Giants and a fifth win in their last six games overall.
Milwaukee needed only five hits, two by Yelich, in order to beat the Giants for the fifth time in six meetings this season. The Brewers improved to 4-1 on a six-game homestand that ends Sunday.
The Giants lost their seventh in a row despite out-hitting the Brewers 6-5.
--Field Level Media