Brewers come up short in Game 1 loss to the Dodgers

A tough start from Brent Suter proved too much to overcome for an anemic Milwaukee offense in a 4-2 loss to Los Angeles in Game 1 of the NL Wild Card series Wednesday night.

Suter, getting the start in place of an injured Corbin Burnes, gave up three runs in just 1 2/3 innings. It included five walks — the same number he had in 16 appearances this season. Two of the walks came with the bases loaded and his five walks are tied for the most by a pitcher in an outing of two innings or less in MLB postseason history.

While Suter struggled, Dodgers’ starter Walker Buehler threw the ball quite well except for one pitch. His lone mistake came to Orlando Arcia, who drilled a 2-run homer in the fourth inning. It was the shortstop’s fourth postseason home run and his third against LA. His four homers is tied with Prince Fielder for the most in franchise playoff history.

Buehler’s pitching line was still solid despite the one pitch. He ended up going four innings, while allowing three hits and striking out eight.

The Dodgers bullpen kept Milwaukee’s offense at bay the rest of the way. Julio Urias pitched three scoreless innings, Blake Treinen shut the Brewers down in the eighth and then Kenley Jansen came on in the ninth to close things out.

The Brewers pitching staff did an admirable job in keeping the team in the game. Eric Yardley retired all seven of the batters he faced and Justin Topa allowed just a hit in his two innings. The lone blip on the radar was a solo home run from Corey Seager off of Freddy Peralta for an important insurance run in the seventh.

Milwaukee’s offense was unable to breakthrough despite having some chances. The Brewers went 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base.

Injuries hit the club again in the game, with outfielder Ryan Braun forced out with mild back soreness. It came a few innings after he crashed into the wall trying to chase down a ball.

The win gives Los Angeles a 1-0 lead in the series and the Dodgers can close it out with a win Thursday night. Milwaukee will send Brandon Woodruff to the mound to try to keep the season going, while the Dodgers counter with Clayton Kershaw.