Field Level Media
Aug 25, 2019
Archie Bradley retired Christian Yelich with two on and two out in the ninth inning, and the Arizona Diamondbacks held on for a 5-2 victory over the host Milwaukee Brewers Sunday afternoon.
Bradley recorded the final four outs, but it was hardly easy in the ninth. He gave up a one-out double to Cory Spangenberg and was one strike away from ending it against rookie second baseman Keston Hiura but issued a walk.
Bradley got ahead in the count to Yelich 0-2 with his fastball, but the reigning MVP worked the count full. The at-bat ended when Yelich quietly grounded out to second and Bradley had his seventh save.
His ability to escape the ninth helped Arizona halt a three-game losing streak and win for the fourth time in 11 games.
The Diamondbacks held a 5-0 lead thanks to a big day from Christian Walker and five scoreless innings from Robbie Ray (11-7) in his return from a brief injured-list stint due to back tightness.
Walker hit a two-run homer in the first inning against Zach Davies (8-7), collected three hits and fell a triple shy of the cycle. Walker also scored Milwaukee's fourth run on a fielder's choice by Nick Ahmed, when Milwaukee first baseman Yasmani Grandal was slow to field the ball in the fourth.
Ray returned after being out since Aug. 14 and held Milwaukee to three hits. He struck out six, worked around four walks and improved to 6-1 in his last nine starts.
Ray pitched through trouble at various points of his 103-pitch outing. He loaded the bases in the fourth but escaped when pinch hitter Trent Grisham grounded out.
Eduardo Escobar hit a solo homer in the fourth to give him 101 RBIs for the season. The Diamondbacks scored their fifth run when Ketel Marte doubled and scored on a throwing error by Hiura on Tim Locastro's infield single in the fifth.
Manny Pina homered in the seventh, and Ryan Braun lifted a sacrifice fly in the eighth off Yoan Lopez for the Brewers, whose three-game winning streak ended.
After Braun's sacrifice fly, Lopez walked Grandal and was replaced by Andrew Chafin, who fanned pinch hitter Eric Thames. Bradley then began his 33-pitch save by retiring Pina with two on.
Davies allowed four runs on four hits in four innings. He struck out three, walked one and lost his fifth straight start.
--Field Level Media