Mets 8, Brewers 4: Last strikes

October 1, 2024
|In Brewers
|By Zach Heilprin

MILWAUKEE — A five-run fifth inning powered the New York Mets to an 8-4 win over Milwaukee in Game 1 of the their NL Wild Card series on Tuesday night.

Play of the Game:

With two outs in the fifth and a man on third, New York’s Jose Iglesias sent a shot the right side that first baseman Rhys Hoskins managed to corral. But pitcher Joel Payamps was slow getting off the mound and Iglesias beat him to the bag by sliding head first. Tyrone Taylor* scored from third and it opened the floodgates as the Mets scored five in the inning to take an insurmountable 8-4 advantage.

*The only reason Taylor was on base was because Jackson Chourio misplayed a liner to left that got over the rookie’s head for a double.

What Went Right

The start

Milwaukee got off to a hot start, getting after Mets starter Luis Severino in the first inning. Brice Turang opened with a double, and then on back-to-back pitches Jackson Chourio delivered a single and William Contreras drove him in with his own single to make it 1-0. Later in the inning, with the bases loaded, Rhys Hoskins got hit with a pitch to bring in another run and a 2-0 lead.

The Brewers added two more in the fourth inning to take the lead, including a go-ahead ground out from Contreras.

But Severino settled in, and ended up going six innings and allowing just the four runs. Milwaukee did not have a hit after the fourth inning.

Freddy Peralta

Was it a dominant effort from Peralta? Absolutely not. After a 1-2-3 first inning, the 28-year-old allowed a single and walk before former teammate Jesse Winker dropped a triple into the right field corner to tie the game 2-2. Winker would score minutes later with a deep sac-fly from Starling Marte. Peralta rebounded to retire the next eight batters in order but manager Pat Murphy pulled the plug after that at 68 pitches. The pitcher wasn’t pleased with that decision.

“It’s not the first time,” Peralta said. “It’s happened in the past, too. I don’t understand the reason I was taken out of the game but there’s nothing I can do about it. In the moment, too. They just came, ‘You’re done.’ That’s it.”

Peralta was due to face the bottom of the New York order for a second time. But Murphy’s explanation for taking Peralta out centered around the emotion spent in his nearly 70 pitches and the potential of facing the top of the order for a third time if it was a 1-2-3 inning.

“Leaving Freddy in one more inning, maybe we could have. It would have changed how we used the relievers, but maybe we could have,” Murphy said. I felt like we’d just took the lead. It had been an emotional 70 pitches. What’s he got, 20 left? It’s usually between 83 and 90 is when he kind of loses a little bit on his fastball. I didn’t want to face those guys three times around.

“We’ve got a full bullpen. It’s a playoff game. You don’t (say) ‘well, we’d like to get him to five because of our bullpen usage over the week.’ You don’t do that. You’re playing to win tonight.”

Peralta was asked if he was upset or disappointed he didn’t get to come out for the fifth and he declined to answer the question.

It’s worth noting that Peralta’s ERA in the fifth inning this year was 7.67 in 30 games.

What Went Wrong:

The fifth inning

The game completed changed in the fifth inning. After Milwaukee had retaken the lead in the fourth inning, the Mets took control their next time at the plate. They were locked in on Payamps with a ton of hard contact but he had still almost made it out of the inning before the whole Iglesis disaster. When he left, the Brewers turned to Aaron Ashby. The lefty didn’t record an out, while giving up two runs on three hits, two walks and one wild pitch. He wasn’t helped by Milwaukee’s defense, including Adames tracking down an infield hit but fumbling it as he attempted to throw.

What They Said

Pat Murphy on if the team will respond in an elimination game on Wednesday:

“This team has responded. Remember the Dodgers beat the daylights out of us twice, we responded. The Yankees beat the daylights out of us twice, we responded. I think we’ll respond.”

Notable Numbers

6 — That is how many postseason games the Brewers have lost in a row. They have just one win in their last 11 playoff games.

17 — That is how many batters in a row the Mets retired to end the game

3 — That’s how many earned runs Payamps had allowed since July 12. He was tagged for three runs in 2/3rds of an inning on Tuesday.

In Case You Missed It

— Brandon Woodruff delivered one of two ceremonial first pitches for the Brewers. He has not pitched this year as he recovers from shoulder surgery.

— After Winker’s big hit in the second inning, him and Willy Adames did some talking back-and-forth.

— Chourio became the youngest player in MLB history with multiple hits in his first playoff game. He also robbed a home run in the fifth inning.

— Murphy announced after the game that Frankie Montas will start Game 2 against the Mets

What’s next?

Milwaukee (0-1) will look to keep its season alive against New York (1-0) in Game 2 of the best-of-3 Wild Card series on Wednesday. First pitch is at 6:30 p.m.