The strength of a contending club often isnr17;t determined by who plays every day Trent Taylor Jersey , but who plays only every few days. Or every few weeks. Or even every few months.
The Milwaukee Brewers were concerned when they began their Friday night game in Cincinnati with two injured starting outfielders, Lorenzo Cain and Christian Yelich, then lost the other starter, Ryan Braun, to lower back tightness in the seventh inning.
But manager Craig Counsell plugged in exactly the right pieces, and a spare outfield group that probably should be called r0;The Replacementsr1; keyed an 8-2 victory over the Reds.
Howr17;s this for a couple of fills-in, who did nothing except fill up the box score: Keon Broxton was 3-for-4 with two homers, four RBIs, a run stolen by some alert baserunning and an exceptional sliding catch.
And Hernan Perez, who came in after Braun was hurt, contributed a two-run double to start a five-run ninth inning.
r0;They (the Brewers outfield) have been the workhorse of this team, so Ir17;ve got to come in and fill their spot while theyr17;re down. It was a good night,r1; said Broxton, who played in only his third game this season.
Because their bench came through yet again r12; on Thursday night, part-time starter Eric Thames hit his third consecutive game-winning homer against the Reds r12; the Brewers can assure them of winning the four-game series by taking Saturdayr17;s game at Great American Ball Park.
r0;It speaks to our depth again r30; wer17;ve had a couple of games like that where (bench players) make meaningful contributions,r1; Counsell said. r0;With Yelich down, wer17;re counting on Keon, so itr17;s got to be a good feeling for him.r1;
The last-place Reds had won nine of 10 coming in to the series, but still canr17;t seem to solve the Brewers, who have won seven of eight games against Cincinnati. Milwaukee owns the National Leaguer17;s best record at 48-33.
r0;These guys have been battling all year and theyr17;re in a good spot right now, so Ir17;m trying to do my best to keep them right there,r1; Broxton said.
Milwaukee will send out right-hander Jhoulys Chacin (6-3) Weston Richburg Jersey , who has lost his last two decisions, on Saturday to face Reds right-hander Tyler Mahle (6-6), who has won his last three decisions during a span of six starts.
r0;Wer17;ve got to play better. r30; Their pitching kind of stifled us the last two nights,r1; Reds interim manager Jim Riggleman said. r0;Wer17;ve got to turn it back on r30; crank it up again with our bats.r1;
Yelich sat out with a lower back issue. Her17;s listed as day to day r12; and so Broxton made his second start since being recalled from Triple-A Colorado Springs on Tuesday.
Broxton had an RBI single in the second against Sal Romano (4-8), then hit the first of his two homers to make the score 2-0 in the fourth. Then, with Milwaukee up 2-1 in the eighth after reliever Michael Lorenzenr17;s homer for the Reds, Broxton appeared to be caught off third by Reds catcher Tucker Barnhart.
But he eluded a tag by falling down, then scored as Orlando Arcia distracted the Reds by allowing himself to be tagged off second.
Broxton finished quite an eveningr17;s work with a two-run homer in the ninth and a stretched-out catch of Scooter Gennettr17;s drive into the right-center field gap with two runners on base.
r0;Her17;s been up and down (from the minors) a little bit, but her17;s very talented,r1; Riggleman said of Broxton, who hit only .220 while spending most of last season with Milwaukee. r0;He can do a lot of things r12; he can hit with power, he can run and he plays great defense.r1;
The Reds didnr17;t do much against Brewers starter Chase Anderson, who limited them to one other hit besides Lorenzenr17;s homer in six innings, and relievers Josh Hader, Jeremy Jeffress and Dan Jennings.
Now, the Brewers would like to get Chacin straightened out. His ERA jumped from 3.18 to 3.82 as he gave up eight runs, nine hits and five walks in 4 1/3 innings during an 8-2 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday. Chacin is 2-3 in nine career games against the Reds. He didnr17;t get the decision during a 6-5 Brewers win on April 30.
In Mahler17;s only previous start against the Brewers, Thames beat him with a two-run homer in a 2-0 Milwaukee win on April 18.
Shohei Ohtani might not be able to pitch right now, but he can still hit.
At least, thatr17;s what the Los Angeles Angels are counting on as they try to get back into the American Leaguer17;s wild-card race.
The two-way Japanese sensation was activated from the disabled list prior to Tuesdayr17;s series opener against the host Seattle Mariners. Ohtani batted sixth and went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts as the Angels lost 4-1.
It was Ohtanir17;s first game since June 6, when he suffered a Grade 2 sprain of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow
r0;Hopefully itr17;ll be a good spot (in the order) for him to hit,r1; Angels manager Mike Scioscia told MLB.com before the game. r0;But wer17;re also just trying to get him acclimated. You donr17;t want to put too much pressure where her17;s to say Cassius Marsh Jersey , r16;Ir17;ve got to do so much,r17; because her17;s hitting higher in the lineup. I think itr17;s a good spot for him to see some pitches.r1;
The Angels went 8-14 while Ohtani was out and dropped 11 games behind Seattle in the chase for the ALr17;s second and final wild-card berth.
Ohtani, who batted .289 with six home runs and 20 RBIs in his first 34 games of the season, was cleared to begin hitting last week. He took batting practice and faced live pitching in simulated games over the weekend.
r0;Her17;s not being rushed,r1; Scioscia said. r0;He had a very aggressive workout this weekend and was cleared by our medical department. He would not be playing here if he wasnr17;t cleared by our medical department. Wer17;re very comfortable that her17;s ready.r1;
When Ohtani (4-1, 3.10 ERA) will return to the mound is another question. Angels general manager Billy Eppler said last week that Ohtani would be re-evaluated in three weeks to determine whether her17;d be able to pitch again this season.
The Angels didnr17;t announce right-hander Garrett Richards (4-4, 3.42 ERA) as Wednesday afternoonr17;s starter until after Tuesdayr17;s defeat. Richards is 6-4 with a 3.05 ERA in 20 career appearances against the Mariners, including 12 starts.
Richards has already faced Seattle twice at Safeco Field this season. He beat the Mariners 5-0 on May 4, allowing four hits in 6 2/3 innings with one walk and eight strikeouts. On June 13, he lasted just two innings in an 8-6 loss, giving up two runs on four hits.
Right-hander Mike Leake (8-4, 4.01 ERA), who has won five of his past six decisions, is scheduled to start for Seattle. Her17;s 3-1 with a 2.49 ERA in four career starts against the Angels. He suffered the loss in the 5-0 defeat on May 4, allowing three runs on seven hits and four walks in 5 1/3 innings. But he beat Los Angeles 6-3 on June 12, allowing one run on four hits in six innings.
The Mariners have won a season-high eight straight games.
r0;Itr17;s a real good run wer17;re on, coming off a sketchy run on the East Coast (losing five of six to the New York Yankees and Boston),r1; Mariners manager Scott Servais said. r0;The guys bounced back r30; itr17;s not always pretty, but we certainly compete very well.r1;
