Facing a rash of injuries, the Brewers needed someone to step up against the Padres. Tyrone Taylor did.
Curt Hogg
SAN DIEGO - Get used to seeing plenty of Tyrone Taylor, Milwaukee.
With his importance to the Brewers heightened due to the team having to place outfielder Hunter Renfroe on the injured list before Tuesday night’s game against the San Diego Padres, Taylor clubbed a go-ahead three-run home run off reliever Craig Stammen in the sixth inning.
That would prove to be the decisive hit as the Brewers won for the third consecutive time with Corbin Burnes on the mound in a 4-1 victory at Petco Park.
Taylor’s start in right field was his ninth in Milwaukee’s last 10 games. With Lorenzo Cain’s struggles and the Brewers being down a power right-handed bat since last Sunday when Willy Adames injured his ankle, the 28-year-old Taylor has been presented as much of an everyday opportunity as he’s ever seen.
“Unfortunately we’ve lost some really good players the last couple of days or weeks and we just gotta withstand that as a group,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said.
BOX SCORE:Brewers 4, Padres 1
Led by Taylor, the Brewers did that Tuesday.
Taylor has done nothing but hit in the big leagues, but most of his tenure in Milwaukee since his first call-up in 2019 has been spent in a reserve role. Many have wondered aloud what Taylor could do with regular playing time, but a crowded outfield picture has been a staple of his time with the Brewers.
"I already show up here every day expecting to play even though I knew what my role was," Taylor said. "I’m just looking forward to going out there with the guys and having some fun playing ball."
Batting cleanup with the platoon advantage against San Diego starter Blake Snell, a lefty, Taylor pounced on Stammen, a right-hander, as the first batter he faced. After a walk by Andrew McCutchen and a single by Christian Yelich chased Snell with one out in the sixth, Taylor hit an 0-2 hanging curve a couple rows deep into the seats in straightaway left.
"I was trying to be on time for a fastball right there," Taylor said. "I fouled one off my foot before that pitch and I was expecting another one. Then I got a hanger and hit it well. I’m happy to contribute to the team."
Mike Brosseau also homered for Milwaukee, which improved to 27-16.
Burnes allowed one run on five hits with five strikeouts over six innings, the major-league leading 15th start of at least six innings with one run or fewer by a Brewers pitcher this season. The Brewers improved to 5-4 in the reigning Cy Young Award winner's starts in 2022.
"When we give Corbin the ball, I think that's what you expect," Counsell said.
All night long, San Diego had difficulty putting good swings on Burnes. The only real trouble he faced came in the first when Jake Cronenworth and Manny Machado led off the game with singles, but even those were lightly struck hits against the shift.
The Padres got a run on Jurickson Profar's double play following the Machado single. Burnes finished strong, retiring 10 of the final 11 hitters he faced to ensure he completed six innings for the eighth consecutive start.
Burnes never quite had the usual sharpness to the cutter early but more than made up for by mixing in sharp secondary pitches before eventually finding the cutter later. His first swing-and-miss on a cutter came in the fourth and he finished with only two whiffs on 53 thrown.
Six out of nine swings on Burnes' curveball, though, resulted in nothing but air. He also had a good slider, sinker and changeup.
"The cutter, we had the feel and the shape that we wanted," Burnes said. "The command of it wasn't great but it was definitely a step in the right direction as far as how it felt. We're trending in the right direction. The curveball and slider felt great. The changeup came and went. I threw some good sinkers."
The Brewers bullpen, operating without closer Josh Hader while he is away from the team due to a family medical emergency, worked around trouble to seal the win.
"There’s going to be situations like that throughout the season for everybody and the teams that win those games are the teams that end up in the playoffs," said Hoby Milner, who picked up a hold by pitching a scoreless seventh.
Milner relieved Burnes and started arguably the double play of the year, one that helped keep the Padres from turning the tide in their favor. After singles by Robinson Cano and Ha-Seong Kim to open the inning, Trent Grisham tapped a weak grounder to Milner’s left. A left-hander, Milner’s momentum naturally carries him toward the third-base line but he pounced quickly to snag the grounder and quickly fired a sidearm throw to second to start a double play.
"He made a heck of a defensive play," Counsell said. "That's what everybody's talking about right now. Just that defensive play, the athleticism to make that play."
Trevor Gott worked around a Luis Urías throwing error that led to the tying run coming to the plate in the eighth. The right-hander continued his excellent 2022 season by getting Wil Myers to strike out swinging on a sinker bearing inside on him.
Pitching in the spot typically reserved for Hader, Devin Williams picked up save number three by working a perfect ninth, capping a night of Brewers filling in and stepping up.
"Just shows the depth that we got," Burnes said. "Guys going down or not being able to come on the trip, other guys have to step up. We've done that the last two games. Lost a tough one in extra innings last night but we bounced back and got a good one tonight.
"It just kind of shows the depth of the team. When someone goes down, we have other guys who can step up."
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