Khris Middleton hits two incredible shots but his 42 points aren't enough in Game 3 loss at Indiana
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Tyrese Haliburton completed a three-point play with 1.6 seconds left, capping his first postseason triple-double in his first home playoff game to give the Indiana Pacers a 121-118 overtime victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night.
Indiana leads the best-of-seven series 2-1, with Game 4 on Sunday in Indianapolis. Two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo again sat out for Milwaukee because of a strained left calf.
Haliburton had 18 points, 16 assists and 10 rebounds. Myles Turner added 29 points and nine rebounds, both playoff career highs, to help give Indiana its first back-to-back postseason wins since taking three straight in the 2014 Eastern Conference semifinals.
The Pacers also have their first lead in the playoffs since Game 3 of a first-round matchup against Cleveland in 2018. Indiana hasn't won a series since reaching the 2014 Eastern Conference finals.
Milwaukee's Khris Middleton banked in a 3-pointer with 1.4 seconds to force overtime and had a chance to force a second overtime, but his 3 bounced off the side of the rim as the buzzer sounded.
Middleton finished with a playoff-career high 42 points and had 10 rebounds and five assists after missing practice Thursday because of a sprained right ankle. Damian Lillard added 28 points and eight assists, most coming after he hurt his left Achilles late in the first quarter.
It was a wild finish in front of a festive crowed decked out in gold T-shirts for Indiana's first home playoff game since since April 21, 2019 — and with many local favorites in attendance. The crowd included former Indiana Fever newcomer Caitlin Clark, former Colts coach Tony Dungy, former Pacers forward Derrick McKey and current Colts players Anthony Richardson, Kenny Moore II and E.J. Speed .
But these fans never expected the experienced Bucks to methodically trim a 19-point first-half deficit to 90-83 after three quarters or to open the fourth on a 10-2 run to take a 95-92 lead on Bobby Portis Jr.'s putback early in the fourth.
The teams then traded baskets, ties and leads over the final 7 1/2 minutes, with Pascal Siakam's putback with 19.1 seconds left giving the Pacers a seemingly safe 109-106 lead. But Siakam missed the ensuing free throw, Middleton answered with a midrange and the 3 to tie it. Siakam's long 3 to win it hit off the back of the rim at the buzzer.
It was more of the same in overtime — until Haliburton broke free for a 15-foot runner that drew a foul and led to the decisive three-point play.
Bobby Portis Jr. finished with 17 points and 18 rebounds for the Bucks, while Siakam had 17 points and nine rebounds for the Pacers.
Clark, the WNBA's No. 1 overall pick and Division I career scoring leader, drew a standing ovation as she revved up the crowd in the team's pregame IndyCar replica.
Packers go offensive line in the first round
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — As he developed into an offensive lineman capable of getting drafted in the first round, Jordan Morgan says he spent plenty of time watching former Green Bay Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari.
Now the former Arizona tackle may get a chance to fill Bakhtiari’s old spot on Green Bay’s offensive line.
The Packers departed from their usual strategy of targeting defensive players in the first round by selecting Morgan with the 25th overall pick in the NFL draft on Thursday night. Morgan says he'd like to emulate the skills that helped make Bakhtiari an All-Pro.
“The way he moves, he’s very balanced and he has a good strike — he has a really good strike in the pass game, really strong arms, really strong upper body and he can really lock people up, which is where I get my game from,” Morgan said. “I like to lock people up and stalemate.”
Although Morgan played left tackle exclusively at Arizona, there's no guarantee he will end up playing that position in the NFL. Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said Morgan has the ability to play either tackle or guard.
“I think he can play all four spots (left tackle, left guard, right tackle and right guard),” Gutekunst said. “We’re fortunate enough that we’ve got a lot of guys in our group right now that can do that, and so I think we’ll kind of let the best five battle it out and see where that ends up.”
This was only the second time in the past 13 drafts that the Packers have selected an offensive player with their first pick. The other instance came in 2020, when they traded up four spots to take Utah State quarterback Jordan Love at No. 26 overall.
Morgan is the first offensive lineman the Packers have selected in the first round since they took Mississippi State tackle Derek Sherrod with the 32nd overall pick in 2011.
“Where we had him valued, this was a pretty easy decision for us,” Gutekunst said.
Green Bay needed to boost its offensive line after losing much of its depth there over the past month. The Packers released Bakhtiari, who had played just 13 games over the past three seasons because of chronic knee problems, and lost starting guard Jon Runyan Jr. and reserve tackle Yosh Nijman in free agency.
Last year, Green Bay didn’t draft any offensive linemen for the first time since 2015. The Packers had a pair of first-year starters at offensive tackle last year with Rasheed Walker on the left side and Zach Tom on the right side.
Morgan had planned to enter the 2023 draft, but he tore his anterior cruciate ligament late in the 2022 season. He returned to school and came back strongly enough to earn first-team all-Pac 12 honors as Arizona’s starting left tackle last year. Morgan allowed only two sacks in 787 snaps over 12 games.
“I just had to pretty much put my head down and work,” said Morgan, who is 6-foot-5 and 311 pounds. “I attacked it pretty hard in the weight room. In the training room I did three times a day, just trying to beat the timeline of an ACL injury, when they told me that it was going to take so long. And I just didn’t want to wait too long.”
One concern about Morgan’s potential at tackle is his arm length of 32 7/8 inches is shorter than usual for that position.
“Certainly the longer the better, but we've had a bunch of guys that have played outside there with not I guess prototypical arm length," Gutekunst said. “I think what makes up for it usually is their feet and athleticism. And that's what Jordan has.”
Green Bay selected Morgan at No. 25 even though the Packers had clear needs in the secondary as well and had plenty of options on defense after each of the draft's first 14 picks were offensive players.
The Packers still have plenty more opportunities to upgrade their secondary as they try to take the next step after going 10-9 and reaching the NFC divisional playoffs last season.
Green Bay has 11 overall draft picks, including five of the first 91 picks. They have an extra second-round pick from the 2023 trade of four-time MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets and an additional third-round selection after sending cornerback Rasul Douglas to the Buffalo Bills at last year’s trade deadline.
Their picks Friday include the 41st, 58th, 88th and 91st overall selections.
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Gary Sánchez drills pinch-hit 2-run homer in 8th; Brewers rally for 7-5 win, series split with Pirates
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Gary Sánchez hit a pinch-hit, two-run home run in the eighth inning to lift the Milwaukee Brewers to a 7-5 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates and a series split on Thursday.
Sánchez drove an 0-2 sinker at 101.9 mph from Aroldis Chapman (0-2) 371 feet to right with two outs, putting the Brewers ahead 6-5. Two of his three home runs came this series, including on Tuesday when he produced Milwaukee’s lone run in a 2-1 loss.
“He’s the same Chapman from when I knew him at the Yankees,” said Sánchez, a batterymate of Chapman’s with the Yankees from 2016-21. “It’s not easy.”
The Brewers have won six of eight after taking the final two of the four-game series. The Pirates have lost eight of 10 after an 11-5 start.
Oliver Dunn tacked on a seventh run with a single to right off Roansy Contreras in the ninth before Trevor Megill retired the side in order in the bottom half for his first save in the majors.
“It was really a team effort,” Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy said. “Eight or nine of those position players all contributed to the game. Special.”
Jared Koenig (1-0) picked up the win, getting through the seventh unscathed after allowing two hits and a walk.
Joey Bart put Pittsburgh ahead 3-1 in the first with a three-run home run, his third in seven games this season, sent 419 feet to center off a fastball from Freddy Peralta.
It came after William Contreras hit his fifth of the season for Milwaukee in the top half, driving a sinker from Mitch Keller 448 feet into the left field bleachers with an exit velocity of 114.4.
Jake Bauers and Rhys Hoskins tied it 3-all with back-to-back RBI singles in the third before Hoskins gave the Brewers their second one-run lead with a double to left that popped out of the glove of a diving Jack Suwinski in the fifth.
Keller struck out seven in five innings, giving up four runs on six hits with two walks.
“He really struggled with his delivery today,” Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton said. “I don't know if I've seen him miss on both sides of the plate as much as he did. ... It was just, overall, lack of command. He just looked like he couldn't get in sync.”
Peralta was pulled with two outs in the fifth, walking Bart before allowing the tying run on a double from Suwinski and a soft single to right from Jared Triolo to fall behind 5-4. The Brewers ace allowed five runs on five hits and five walks with five strikeouts.
“I wasn't having the best day today, in general,” Peralta said. “I didn't have the command of any of my pitches today. I tried to get on in the bullpen, but I was feeling it already in the bullpen. I came out to battle and give my best today, but I wasn't able to finish the fifth. That was probably the worst part for me today.”
UP NEXT
Brewers: RHP Colin Rea (2-0, 2.08) takes the mound Friday as Milwaukee heads home for a three-game set against the Yankees.
Pirates: RHP Quinn Priester (0-1, 8.31) will start on Friday to open a three-game series at San Francisco.
Indiana beats the Bucks to take Game 2 and tie the series
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Pascal Siakam scored 37 points and the Indiana Pacers overcame another fantastic first-half performance from Damian Lillard to beat the Milwaukee Bucks 125-108 on Tuesday night and tie their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series at a game apiece.
Indiana snapped a 10-game playoff losing streak that began with a Game 7 loss to Cleveland in a first-round series in 2018. The Pacers were swept by Boston in 2019 and by Miami in 2020.
Two nights after scoring all 35 of his points in the first half of the Bucks’ 109-94 Game 1 victory, Lillard had 26 by halftime Tuesday and finished with 34.
It wasn’t enough. Lillard didn’t get enough help with the Bucks once again missing two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo due to a strained left calf.
Antetokounmpo hasn’t played since he was hurt in an April 9 victory over the Boston Celtics.
“(He) shot today, was on the floor a bunch,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said during his pregame media session. “He’s getting closer.”
The series heads to Indianapolis for Game 3 on Friday.
The Pacers led the NBA with 123.3 points per game during the regular season but posted their lowest point total and field-goal percentage (.396) while shooting 8 of 38 on 3-pointers in Game 1. This time, Indiana looked more like the team that won four of five regular-season matchups with the Bucks while scoring at least 122 points in each.
Siakam, who won an NBA title with Toronto in 2019, led the way, going 16 of 23 from the floor. He also had 11 rebounds and six assists. Siakam scored 36 points in Game 1.
Myles Turner scored 22 points and Andrew Nembhard 20 for the Pacers. Tyrese Haliburton had 12 points and 12 assists.
Milwaukee's Brook Lopez scored 22 points and shot 6 of 7 from 3-point range. Khris Middleton scored 15 points. Bobby Portis had 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Despite another big first half by Lillard, the Bucks trailed 60-55 at the break as Indiana went 10 of 20 on 3-point attempts.
The Pacers extended the lead to 11 early in the third quarter. The Bucks went on an 8-0 run and cut Indiana’s lead to 79-78, but Portis missed a 14-footer that would have put Milwaukee ahead with 3:28 left in the third. Indiana pushed its lead to 92-83 by the end of the period.
Milwaukee rallied early in the fourth when Indiana’s Obi Toppin was called for a flagrant-1 foul against Pat Connaughton on a drive to the basket. That enabled Milwaukee to retain possession after Connaughton sank a free throw that completed a three-point play to cut Indiana’s lead to 92-88.
But after Milwaukee’s Jae Crowder missed a 3-pointer, Indiana reeled off eight consecutive points in a 74-second span to grab a 12-point advantage with 9:17 left.
Indiana ultimately pushed its lead to 23 points.
McCutchen leads off with home run for second day in row and Pirates beat Brewers 2-1
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Andrew McCutchen led off the bottom of the first with a home run for the second straight game, Bailey Falter took a shutout into the eighth inning and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Milwaukee Brewers 2-1 on Tuesday night.
McCutchen hit the first pitch of Tobias Myers’ major league career down the left-field line for his 12th career leadoff homer and his 100th long ball at PNC Park. McCutchen connected off Joe Ross on Monday night in the Pirates’ 4-2 win.
McCutchen became the first Pirates player to hit a leadoff homer in back-to-back games since Adam Frazier in 2019. McCutchen is 5 for 8 in two games since manager Derek Shelton moved him to the top of the batting order, boosting his average from .173 to .233.
Pinch-hitter Connor Joe pushed the lead to 2-0 with an RBI single in the sixth inning.
Falter (2-1) was lifted after Gary Sánchez's leadoff home run in the eighth — one of just three hits off the left-hander, who had eight strikeouts and two walks.
David Bednar pitched a perfect ninth for his second save in as many nights and fourth of the season in seven chances, finishing a three-hitter.
Pittsburgh has won the first two games of the four-game series after losing six straight. The Brewers arrived on a four-game winning streak.
McCutchen’s homer was the only run Myers (0-1) allowed in five innings. He yielded four hits while striking out four and walking one.
The 25-year-old right-hander was called up from Triple-A Nashville on Monday. He also spent one day with the Brewers on April 17 but then was sent back down to the minor leagues without having pitched.
Milwaukee is Myers’ sixth organization since he was selected by Baltimore in the sixth round of the 2016 amateur draft. He also spent time with Tampa Bay, Cleveland, San Francisco and the Chicago White Sox.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Brewers: RHP Jakob Junis (right shoulder impingement) was back with the team and being observed for a possible head injury after being struck in the neck during batting practice a night earlier and taken to a hospital. Manager Pat Murphy said Junis, who is on the injured list with a right shoulder injury, was doing much better. … LHP Wade Miley (left elbow inflammation) underwent an MRI on Tuesday but the results were not immediately available.
UP NEXT
RHP Bryse Wilson (2-0, 3.29 ERA) starts for the Brewers on Wednesday night against his former team while rookie RHP Quinn Priester (0-1, 8.31) pitches for the Pirates.
Packers have 11 draft picks to match NFL's top total. GM Brian Gutekunst wouldn't mind adding more
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst wouldn’t mind adding a few more picks to the league-leading total his team already is projected to have in this week’s draft.
The Packers, Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams currently have 11 selections each to lead all NFL teams in the draft that begins Thursday. That follows a 2023 draft in which the Packers selected 13 players.
“You never have enough ammunition to build your room, so there’s significant competition in every room,” Gutekunst said Monday during a pre-draft news conference. “I think that’s really important. We have 11 right now. I’d love to end up with 13, 14 or more.”
The Packers last season became the fourth-youngest team to reach the playoffs and the youngest to win a playoff game since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger, according to the Elias Sports Bureau’s weighted age statistic. They went 10-9 and reached the NFC divisional playoffs while having the NFL's youngest roster.
They achieved that in part because of a rookie class that featured four players who had more than 350 yards receiving (Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks and tight ends Tucker Kraft and Luke Musgrave) and two more who recorded at least four sacks (Lukas Van Ness and Karl Brooks).
Green Bay benefited from having a jumbo-sized draft class that included an extra second-round pick because of the trade of four-time MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets as well as nine third-day selections. This year, the Packers have five of the first 91 picks after landing an extra second-round selection in the Rodgers trade as well as a third-round pick from sending cornerback Rasul Douglas to the Buffalo Bills at last year’s trade deadline.
Gutekunst said the Packers’ abundance of selections in the first few rounds puts them “in a pretty good space to move, or just sit and pick.” But he also noted the benefits of adding extra picks.
“More at-bats, right?” Gutekunst said. “You’ve got more chances for hits. There’s never enough. I don’t ever subscribe to the thought process: ‘Hey, we’ve got a pretty good team. These guys might not have a chance to make the team.’ I think I’ve talked a lot about competition in every room, and how much it accelerates the growth of your football team. I think that’s the best way for your team to move forward. So to me, there’s never enough.”
Gutekunst disputed the notion that the abundance of youth on Green Bay’s roster might make it tougher for the incoming rookies to earn roster spots.
“I don’t think it will be hard at all,” Gutekunst said. “It just depends. I really think the more competitive we can make it, the better. So we’ll see how it goes. But it’s one of I think the hallmarks of around here has always been that the best players play, regardless of where you were taken or how much you’re getting paid. The best players are going to play. That’s kind of how we want to approach it.”
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Brewers winning streak stops at 4 with loss at Pittsburgh
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Oneil Cruz broke out of a slump with three hits, Jared Jones allowed one run in six innings and the Pittsburgh Pirates ended their skid at six games, beating Milwaukee 4-2 on Monday night to stop the Brewers' four-game win streak.
Cruz capped a three-run sixth with a two-out, two-run single. He also singled in the second and dropped a double into right-center in the fourth. The 6-foot-7 shortstop was 4 for 44 in his previous 12 games.
Jones (2-2) gave up four hits and two walks. The 22-year-old rookie struck out seven and has 39 strikeouts through five starts, with at least seven in each.
The Pirates, following an 11-5 start, were outscored 36-9 in back-to-back three-game sweeps by the Mets and Red Sox. The Brewers were coming off a three-game sweep at St. Louis.
David Bednar picked up his third save, allowing only an infield hit by Jackson Chourio in the ninth.
Joe Ross (1-2) gave up two runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings for Milwaukee.
Andrew McCutchen led off the first for Pittsburgh with a 414-foot homer to center, his first of three hits. He hit his 1,000th single in the majors in the third.
Rhys Hoskins homered off Jones leading off the fifth, then walked to load the bases with two outs in the sixth. Jones retired Blake Perkins on a comebacker to end that threat.
Pirates setup man Aroldis Chapman walked three straight, loading the bases with one out in the eighth. Hunter Stratton entered to limit the damage to one run, getting Hoskins and Perkins to ground out.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Brewers: RHP Jakob Junis was taken to a hospital during batting practice after being struck in the neck by a line drive off the bat of Pirates INF Alika Williams. Junis, who was placed on the 15-day injured list April 6 because of a shoulder impingement, was said to be “conscious, alert and responsive” in a joint statement from the teams. ... LHP Wade Miley went on the 15-day IL with left elbow inflammation.
UP NEXT
LHP Bailey Falter (1-1, 4.05 ERA) will take the mound for the Pirates in the second game of the four-game series Tuesday. The Brewers had not announced a starter.
Owen Miller's two-run single lifts Brewers to sweep of Cardinals
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Owen Miller broke a scoreless tie with a two-run single and Colin Rea tossed five shutout innings to lead the Milwaukee Brewers to a 2-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday.
Milwaukee has won four in a row and swept a three-game series in St. Louis for the first time since Sept. 24-26, 2018.
Sonny Gray stuck out 12 batters over 6 1/3 innings for the Cardinals, who have lost four in a row.
Rea gave up five hits over five-plus innings and left after walking Paul Goldschmidt to begin the sixth.
“After the first couple innings I really started attacking the strike zone,” Rea said. “I was kind of overthrowing to start the game. trying to make perfect pitches, and we just went back to attacking the strike zone.”
Miller, who was recalled from Triple-A Nashville on Tuesday, hit a two-run single in the seventh after Blake Perkins and Brice Turang singled with one out.
“It felt pretty good to sweep them and get a win like that,” Miller said. “To capitalize on a game where Sonny Gray was pitching the way he did, that’s pretty special.”
Miller snapped an eight-game hitless string dating back to last season.
“To get called up, get his first start and get a huge hit, that says a lot about him,” Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy said,
Gray, who signed as a free agent on Nov. 27, allowed five hits and gave up his first two runs of the season. Gray (2-1) struck out 20 batters before giving up his first walk of the season to Joey Ortiz in the fifth.
Reliver Bryan Hudson, who grew up in the St. Louis suburb of Alton, Illinois, retired all seven batters he faced following Rea. Hudson struck out four and picked up his first career win.
The left-hander gave out 70 tickets among family and friends. He spent his childhood attending Cardinals games and even played at Busch Stadium while in high school.
“Once I got out there and took a second and took it all in, then it was back to work,” Hudson said. “Walking off, it was a very cool moment.”
Closer Joel Payamps picked up his third save in five opportunities.
Perkins turned in the defensive play of the game by reaching over the fence in center to rob Lars Nootbaar of a home run in the first.
“That’s the game right there” Rea said. “That’s our defense. Every night they’re at their best.”
St. Louis catcher Willson Contreras extended his career-best hitting streak to 14 games with a first-inning single. It is the longest current run in the major and is second this season behind Marcell Ozuna of Atlanta, who had a 17-game streak snapped Saturday.
The Cardinals have dropped eight of their last nine to their NL Central rivals.
“We got swept, you’ve got to have a short memory,” Contreras said. “Move on, look forward to the next game.”
The Brewers improved to a major-league best 9-2 in day games this season. They are 10-2 on the road.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Cardinals: RHP Andre Pallante was sent to Triple-A Memphis where he will move into the starting rotation. Pallante fashioned an 0-1 record with a 6.30 ERA in nine relief appearances with the Cardinals.
UP NEXT
Brewers: RHP Joe Ross (1-1, 4.91 ERA) faces Pittsburgh RHP Jared Jones (1-2, 3.13) in the first of a four-game series on Monday in Pittsburgh. Ross will be making his fourth start of the season. The Brewers are 1-2 in his previous starts.
Cardinals: RHP Lance Lynn (1-0, 2.18) takes on Arizona RHP Brandon Pfaat (1-1, 5.32) in the opener of a three-game set in St. Louis on Monday. Lynn has posted quality starts in nine of 12 career starts against the Diamondbacks.
Brice Turang and Jackson Chourio hit back-to-back homers as Brewers beat Cardinals 12-5
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Jackson Chourio followed Brice Turang for back-to-back home runs in the fourth inning, becoming the fourth-youngest player since 1900 with four homers in his first 17 games, and the Milwaukee Brewers routed the St. Louis Cardinals 12-5 Saturday.
Rhys Hoskins homered had three RBIs for the Brewers, whose 18 hits were their most in three years. Every Brewers starter had a hit and eight starters had multiple hits for the first time since April 22, 2010. against Pittsburgh. The bottom three batters in the order were 6 for 12 with four RBIs.
“It was a good day offensively," Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “They’re starting to get a little confidence. It’s early in the season and you start looking up at the board at the numbers and kids get in their own heads sometimes. I think they’re focused now on just getting good pitches to hit and trying to swing the right way at the ball.”
Milwaukee is a major league-best 9-2 on the road and has won seven of its last eight games against St. Louis. The Brewers had their most hits since 22 in a 17-4 win at the Chicago Cubs on Aug. 12, 2021.
"Whether or not we end up sweeping these guys tomorrow is to be seen, but just to come in here and grab two wins right away and win a series should do a lot for our confidence, Hoskins said.
Chourio, at 20 years, 20 days, trails only Lou Klimchock in 1958-59 (19 years, 345 days), Tony Conigliaro in 1964 (19 years, 120 days) and Andruw Jones in 1996 (19 years, 138 days) to four homers.
"He’s going to go up and down, but he’s got to stay in the zone," Murphy said. “He’s got such good hands he’s got to be able to make that pitcher throw him strikes instead of chasing after it. He was great today.”
Bryse Wilson (2-0) pitched 1 1/3 hitless innings in relief of DL Hall, who allowed four runs, five hits and five walks in 3 2/3 innings. Hoby Milner, Abner Uribe and Thyago Vieira finished a six-hitter.
“It’s been tough,” Hall said. “I’m a perfectionist, so you expect to kind of just of pick up where I left off out of the bullpen. Obviously, that’s not happening right now. But, luckily, I've got a great offense behind me that just keeps picking me up time and time again.”
Miles Mikolas (1-3) gave up five runs and five hits in 4 2/3 innings for the Cardinals, who have lost three straight games for the first time this season.
“It stinks,” Mikolas said. “We played some great defense today, put some runs on the board. I wasn't able to keep the runs off the board. That one's on me today. I didn't do my job out there.”
Turang tied the score 4-4 with a two-run homer off a slider in the fourth. Four pitches later, Chourio connected on a fastball for a 5-4 lead.
Hoskins homered in the first, stopping an 0-for-11 slide, and added an RBI single in a four-run sixth that built a 9-4 advantage.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Cardinals: OF Dylan Carlson (left shoulder sprain) says he hopes to take batting practice on the field Tuesday. Carlson injured himself colliding with Jordan Walker in the outfield in a spring training game against the Chicago Cubs on March 25.
UP NEXT
Cardinals RHP Sonny Gray (2-0, 0.00 ERA) will face Brewers RHP Colin Rea (2-0, 2.70 ERA) on Sunday. Milwaukee is seeking its first series sweep of the Cardinals since taking three straight from Sept. 24-26, 2018, in St. Louis.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
William Contreras drives in 2 runs for Brewers in a 2-1 win over Cardinals in 10 innings
ST. LOUIS (AP) — William Contreras drove in the go-ahead run in the 10th inning and finished with two RBIs as the Milwaukee Brewers beat the St. Louis Cardinals 2-1 on Friday night.
Contreras hit a two-out single off Ryan Helsley (1-2) in the 10th inning that scored automatic runner Blake Perkins, breaking a 1-all tie. Hoby Milner shut down the middle of the Cardinals' order in the bottom of the 10th to earn his first save.
Milwaukee won its second straight game. St. Louis lost for the fourth time in six games and has failed to score more than three runs in a game during that span.
The Cardinals erased a 1-0 deficit with a two-out rally in the bottom of the ninth. Masyn Winn walked and Alec Burleson hit a single that drove Milwaukee reliver Trevor Megill from the game. Joel Payamps (1-1) hit Iván Herrera with a pitch to load the bases before Brendan Donovan drew a walk that tied the game at 1.
Brewers starter Freddy Peralta pitched six scoreless innings, struck out seven, walked two and allowed four hits.
Opposing batters are hitting .169 (14 for 83) against Peralta through his first four starts this season. Only San Diego’s Dylan Cease (.130) has a better mark in the National League.
William Contreras gave the Brewers a 1-0 lead in the third with an RBI double that scored Blake Perkins, who reached on a double. Contreras has hits in 13 of his last 14 games.
Cardinals starter Kyle Gibson allowed one run on three hits in six innings. The 36-year-old right-hander has gone at least six innings in all four of his starts this season
The Cardinals' Willson Contreras extended his hitting streak to a career-high 12 games with a single in the second inning. He tried to score from second after Jordan Walker struck out swinging on a passed ball, but was thrown out by his brother, William, on a throw to Peralta.
The Cardinals held a moment of silence and a video tribute before the game in honor of former Hall of Fame manager Whitey Herzog, who died on Tuesday at 92.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Brewers: Reinstated RHP Trevor Megill from the 7-day concussion list. … Placed 1B Jake Bauers on the bereavement list. … Recalled INF Andruw Monasterio from Triple-A Nashville.
Cardinals: INF Matt Carpenter (right oblique strain) took batting practice for the first time since being placed on the injured list on April 2. … OF Dylan Carlson (left shoulder AC sprain) took swings from the left side and was able to play catch and do defensive work.
UP NEXT
RHP Miles Mikolas (1-2, 5.82 ERA) will start for the Cardinals against LHP DL Hall (0-1, 7.11 ERA) and the Brewers on Saturday. With a win, Mikolas would join Lance Lynn (11) and Kyle Hendricks (10) as the lone active pitchers with 10-plus wins against Milwaukee. Hall is seeking his first quality start, although the Brewers are 2-1 in his starts.
