Friday Sports 4/19/19
19 April 2019 Sports
Sports from Wayne Mausser
The Brewers lost the opening game of their four-game series with the Dodgers last night at Miller Park, but Christian Yelich continues his hot start. Yelich and Dodgers slugger Cody Bellinger began the day tied for the league lead with nine home runs apiece. Bellinger briefly took the lead, hitting his 10th in the sixth inning Thursday off Brewers reliever Matt Albers, but Yelich pulled back to even in the ninth frame with a solo shot off Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen.
And while Bellinger had the last laugh, thanks to a 3-1 Dodgers victory, Yelich was able to take solace in the fact that his 27 RBIs this season not only lead all of baseball, but are the most ever produced by a Brewers player between March and April, the record previously held by Prince Fielder, with 26. And there are still 11 games left to play this month.
It didn’t look like it through the first few innings, as Yelich went 0-for-3 against Dodgers starter Julio Urias, now 1-1. Yelich, though, wasn’t alone in his struggles; Milwaukee’s offense managed only one hit off the 22-year-old left-hander, who struck out a career-high nine batters just six days after the Brewers tagged him for six runs over five innings in a loss at Dodger Stadium. Urias didn’t allow a hit until the fifth, when Orlando Arcia singled with two outs.
The Dodgers’ powerful lineup couldn’t do much either against Brewers right-hander Zach Davies. He held the NL’s top home-run hitting team to just three hits, but lasted only five innings thanks to Los Angeles’ patient approach at the plate.
He was at 97 pitches when manager Craig Counsell sent Eric Thames to pinch-hit for him in the fifth. Matt Albers (1-1) took over in the sixth and retired Justin Turner on a bouncer to second to open the inning but left a 3-2 fastball over the plate for Bellinger, who crushed it to right-center, pulling ahead of Yelich momentarily, with his 10th homer of the season.
A.J. Pollock singled to left on Albers’ very next offering and Max Muncy made it 3-0 when he homered on a 2-1 sinker that just didn’t sink.
The teams meet again tonight as Jhoulys Chacin, who’s 2-2 goes against fellow right hander Ross Stripling, who’s 1-1. First pitch is at 7:10 from Miller Park and the game can be heard on AM1100/98.3FM, WISS.
Elsewhere in the N.L Central, the Reds beat the Padres 4-1.
The Milwaukee Bucks are looking to wrap up their playoff series with the Pistons tomorrow night in Detroit. The Bucks lead two-games to none in that best of five game series.
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