TAMPA, Fla. — Christian Yelich and William Contreras hit back-to-back homers in the fourth inning for Milwaukee on Sunday to help the Brewers beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-2 and avoid a three-game sweep.
Tyler Alexander (2-3) came on with one out and two on in the bottom of the fifth and pitched 1.2 hitless innings. Trevor Megill pitched a perfect ninth for his fifth save as the Brewers snapped a three-game skid.
Jake Bauers drew a walk off Drew Rasmussen (1-4) and scored on Caleb Durbin's groundout to make it 3-2 in the fifth. Yelich led off the eighth with a hit and stole second before scoring on Rhys Hoskins's two-out single to cap the scoring.
Chandler Simpson had two doubles and Jonathan Aranda had three hits and an RBI for the Rays. José Caballero’s sacrifice fly made it 2-2 in the fourth.
Key moment
After Danny Jansen led off the seventh with an infield single and was replaced by pinch-runner Christopher Morel, Chandler Simpson grounded into a 1-6-3 double play. Brandon Lowe hit the next pitch to second baseman Brice Turang to end the inning.
Key stat
The Brewers snapped a string of 13 consecutive losses to open the season in games where they allowed the first run. Milwaukee was the last team in the majors this season to win a game when its opponent opened the scoring.
Up next
Right-hander Freddy Peralta (4-2, 2.18 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Brewers on Monday against Guardians righty Ben Lively (2-2, 3.46 ERA) in the first of a three-game series at Cleveland. The Rays have not announced their starter for the opener of a three-game set at Toronto on Tuesday. Right-hander José Berríos (1-1, 3.86 ERA) is expected to start for the Blue Jays.
COMMENTS
When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.