Sometimes it pays to be a night owl and if you were one of those that witnessed the series opener with San Diego it turned out to be a game you won’t soon forget. Ryan Braun had a career night at the plate, going 4-5 while hitting 3 home runs, putting up 6 RBI’s, and 15 total bases as the Brewers picked up their 2nd straight win with an 8-3 victory over the San Deigo Padres.
The 3 home runs and 15 total bases in the game were all career highs. What is most impressive is that he is the first player in Major League Baseball history to hit 3 home runs in a single game at Petco Park. Also, his 15 total bases set a new franchise record for most total bases by a single player in a game, besting the mark previously held by Richie Sexton (14).
Randy Wolf didn’t exactly have a great day, going just five innings plus two batters, giving up nine hits, and giving up three runs (all earned). He did manage his second straight victory despite those numbers. The combination of Kameron Loe, Francisco Rodriguez, and Tim Dillard picked Wolf up by not giving up a single hit and striking out four in their four innings of relief.
Starting Pitchers:
MIL: Randy Wolf (2-2, 6.84 ERA) – 5IP, 9H, 3R, 3ER, 3BB, 3K
SD: Joe Wieland (0-4, 4.91 ERA) – 5IP, 5H, 5R, 3ER, 2BB, 8K, 2HR
Brewers Highlights:
Ryan Braun: 4-5, 3HR (7), 6RBI (17), 1 3B, 15 total bases, (.294 avg)
Alex Gonzalez: 1-4, 2RBI (14), (.254 avg)
Rickie Weeks: 0-3, 2BB, 2 runs scored, (.186 avg)
Padres Highlights:
Chris Denorfia: 2-3, 2BB, (.326 avg)
Yonder Alonso: 2-3, 1RBI (4), (.253 avg)
Notes:
– Most will remember this game for Braun’s performance, but equally important was the double by Alex Gonzalez after Braun’s homer in the 4th inning. He plated Aramis Ramirez and Mat Gamel to put the Brewers up 3-2 and a lead they wouldn’t relinquish the rest of the game.
– Outside of Braun and Gonzalez the Brewers only had 2 other players with a hit in Nyjer Morgan and Mat Gamel, who both scored runs off their lone hits on the night. Now that’s what I call making your hits count!
– Braun nearly had 4 home runs, but his last shot was off the right center field wall for a triple instead.
– Braun lifted his average 31 points tonight, going from .263 to .294 for the season with his performance at the plate tonight.
– Braun made it just the 35th time in MLB history that someone went for 15 total bases or more in a game. The last time that happened was Dustin Pedroia on 6-24-2010 and before that it was just short of 6 seasons (Albert Puljos on 7-20-2004)
Milwaukee and San Diego will go back at it tomorrow night at 9:05pm Central time, so strap yourselves in for a late night once again!!
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
