A 5-run 7th powers Minnesota past the Brewers
Milwaukee's undefeated start to the season is done after falling 7-3 to Minnesota on Wednesday at American Family Field.
The Crew led 3-1 in the seventh when the Twins jumped all over Joel Payamps, getting tagged for four of the five runs they scored in the inning. It included a three-run home by Ryan Jeffers off of Bryce Wilson. Jeffers would add a run-scoring single in the ninth to finish 2-for-4 with four RBI.
Joe Ross gave the Crew 3 2/3 innings in his first start, allowing just two hits while walking five and striking out three.
Milwaukee jumped out to early lead thanks, in part, to a pair of solo home runs. Rhys Hoskins hit his second of the season before Jackson Chuorio delivered the first of his career. Sal Frelick had a couple of hits and scored a run.
https://twitter.com/Brewers/status/1775598273316700527?s=20
The Brewers dropped to 4-1 on the year. They will get Thursday off before opening up a series against Seattle on Friday at home.
Chourio hits RBI single in first home plate appearance. Brewers beat Twins 3-2 and improve to 4-0
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Jackson Chourio singled in a run in his first American Family Field plate appearance, Christian Yelich homered and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Minnesota Twins 3-2 on Tuesday to open a season with four straight wins for the first time since 2006.
Chourio stepped to the plate with the bases loaded in the third inning after consecutive one-out singles by Rhys Hoskins, Oliver Dunn and Brice Turang. The 20-year-old followed with an RBI single into shallow right field.
“I was just looking to make good contact there and bring in the first run of the game,” Chourio said through an interpreter.
Chourio, who signed an $82 million, eight-year contract in the offseason before making his big league debut, is hitting .400 (6 for 15).
Home after a three-game sweep at the New York Mets, the Brewers never trailed in front of a sellout crowd of 41,659 that saved its biggest cheers for the introduction of Bob Uecker as he began his 54th season of broadcasting Brewers baseball.
Turang went 2 for 3 with an RBI single, improving his batting average to .500 (7 for 14).
Milwaukee is 4-0 for the fourth time after winning its first 13 games in 1987 and its first five in 1978 and 2006.
Yelich hit a 423-foot drive over the center-field wall and Turang added a two-out RBI double in the third as the Brewers boosted the lead to 3-0.
Matt Wallner had a sacrifice fly in the fourth and the Twins closed within a run in the seventh on Christian Vázquez's sacrifice fly, a run that was unearned because of catcher William Contreras' fielding error that allowed Willi Castro to reach. Hoby Milner preserved the lead by striking out pinch-hitter Kyle Farmer to strand Manuel Margot at second.
Carlos Correa walked to start the ninth before Margot hit into a double play and Carlos Santana grounded out as Abner Uribe finished a three-hitter for his third save in as many chances.
“With the way that we play sometimes and early in the season, and the way that they play, it's not surprising to see a good, well-pitched, low-scoring game right there,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “But when we do hit the ball on the barrel, we want to get something out of it. Overall I think we could have had better at-bats.”
Elvis Peguero (2-0) pitched two hitless innings after starter Jakob Junis allowed one run and one hit over four innings in his Brewers debut.
Junis, a 31-year-old right-hander, threw just 47 pitches as he adjusts to starting after working primarily out of the bullpen for San Francisco Giants last season. Junis also had been dealing with a minor shoulder issue for part of the spring.
“He came in after the third and said he wasn't feeling great, but wanted to go back out,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “You could see he didn't have great extension in that fourth inning. We made the decision then, because it's about his health.”
Twins starter Louie Varland (0-1) gave up three runs, six hits and two walks in four innings.
The Camp: Tyler Van Dyke and Braedyn Locke sharing reps, new faces on defense, two de-commits
Wisconsin was on the field for practice No. 2 of spring on Tuesday. Zach and Jesse go position-by-position to discuss what they saw in their first look at the Badgers this spring. That included Tyler Van Dyke and Braedyn Locke sharing reps with the first-team offense, some new faces in the front seven of the defense and more. They close with discussion of some recruits de-committing.
Wisconsin loses commitment from 3-star safety in 2025 class
Wisconsin has lost a second commitment in its 2025 recruiting class.
A week after Middleton (Wis.) defensive lineman Torin Pettaway announced he was flipping his commitment from the Badgers to Minnesota, three-star safety Cody Haddad (Cleveland, Ohio) reportedly de-committed from coach Luke Fickell and his staff on Monday.
https://twitter.com/McNamaraRivals/status/1774838256292548660?s=20
Haddad initially committed to Wisconsin in mid-January, but his recruitment kicked up a gear soon after. Ranked as the No. 15 player in the state of Ohio, the 6-foot-1, 175-pound Haddad added a scholarship offer from Ohio State on January 20. He visited the Buckeyes and most recruiting analysts expect Haddad to end up in Columbus.
The de-commitment leaves the Badgers with seven commitments in their 2025 class.
Temple & Heilprin: Latest on AJ Storr, players Wisconsin is targeting in the portal, Chris McIntosh supports Greg Gard
Badger247's Evan Flood sits in for Jesse to talk the latest on AJ Storr's name going into the transfer portal, whether he could come back to Wisconsin, several names that the Badgers are tracking in the portal, AD Chris McIntosh's comments on Greg Gard and a couple things we're looking forward to in spring ball.
The Swing: Connor Essegian in the transfer portal, looking back at the loss to JMU, looking ahead to next season
Connor Essegian is in the transfer portal. Zach and Jesse discuss that news, while also diving into what went wrong against JMU, the uncertainty around AJ Storr, the transfer portal, what success should look like under Greg Gard and more.
Badgers: Connor Essegian has entered the transfer portal
Connor Essegian's time at Wisconsin is done.
The sophomore guard announced his decision on social media Sunday night.
https://twitter.com/CEssegian/status/1772067479017202152?s=20
Essegian was an important piece when he arrived in 2022, averaging 11.7 points per game and shooting 35.9% from beyond the arc on his way to earning a spot on the Big Ten's All-Freshman team. But a back injury early in the season slowed him and he fell out of the normal rotation, going from averaging 27 minutes per game as a freshman to seven this past season. When on the court he was unable to find his rhythm from 3-point range, shooting 30.3% compared to 35.9% in his first year.
The decline in playing time was in large part due to the arrival of freshman John Blackwell, who shot 45.5% on 66 attempts, and continued struggles on defense. Coach Greg Gard was willing to deal with that when Essegian was a freshman, but with better options on that end of the court this season, it led to the Indiana native spending a lot of time on the bench.
Essegian is the first player to enter the portal since Wisconsin's season came to an end on Friday.
(12) James Madison 72, (5) Wisconsin 61: Last word
BROOKLYN — Wisconsin’s season came to a screeching halt Friday night, as the fifth-seeded Badgers fell 72-61 to 12th-seeded James Madison at Barclays Center in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Player of the Game: Terrence Edwards Jr.
It wasn’t a huge day for James Madison’s top scorer, but he was the leader in a balanced attack. Edwards had a team-high 14 points, one of four Dukes that hit double figures against the Badgers. But he was also a major factor in the defensive effort that gave Wisconsin all kinds of problems. Edwards’ length was an issue for AJ Storr and it played a leading role in his 5-for-14 effort from the field.
The good: Max Klesmit
The good was hard to find for Wisconsin in a night it would like to forget, but Klesmit was the bright spot. The junior guard went off for 18 points, including hitting five 3-pointers. It tied his season-high and it kept the Badgers in the game in the second half. In fact, he nearly had his sixth 3-pointer that would have made it a 52-49 game but it rimed out. He got another chance to cut the game to four but a layup through contact didn’t fall. Klesmit finished the season shooting 39.8% from deep.
The not so good: The turnovers
James Madison thought it had a chance to make life difficult for Wisconsin with its pressure and the Dukes were right. They heated the Badgers up and forced 19 turnovers. It was a season-high and the third-most in Greg Gard’s tenure. Thirteen of those came in the first half, including seven on the first 12 possessions. James Madison took full advantage, turning all those Wisconsin mistakes into 27 points for the game.
Stat of the Game: 9-19
That was what Wisconsin finished at the rim. It included just 8-for-18 on layups, many of which were point-blank attempts that need to be finished. It was an extremely rough night for Tyler Wahl. He hit his first shot but didn’t make another on the night, going 0-for-4, all on layups.
In Case You Missed It
— Wisconsin dropped to 1-4 as a No. 5 seed, with all four losses coming by double digits. The loss also means the Badgers will go another year without making it to the second weekend of the tournament, with the drought now dating back to 2017.
— Gard is 6-6 in his six tournament appearances, including 3-3 as the higher seeded team.
— The game marked the end of Wahl’s career. It was his 162nd appearance, the most by a Wisconsin player in school history. He is the lone player on the roster that doesn’t have the option to return for another year.
— Several players were in tears in the locker room after, including Wahl, Hepburn and Klesmit.
— Storr has not decided what his plan for next year is. He would not say that his only options are Wisconsin or the NBA, leaving the possibility that he could decide to transfer again.
What’s next?
The offseason
The Camp: OC Phil Longo joins the show
Zach and Jesse are joined by Wisconsin offensive coordinator Phil Longo. The guys ask about why the offense didn't click in year 1, how things will be different in year 2, what he's seen from Tyler Van Dyke, his philosophy of having the QB under center in short yardage and goal line situations, excitement around CJ Williams and Trech Kekahuna and more.
The Swing: Wisconsin gets its NCAA Tourney assignment, looking back at a great week in Minneapolis
The Badgers know their opening round opponent in the NCAAs. Zach and Jesse talk about the game against James Madison, but also look back at a great performance by the team in Minneapolis and what it means for them in the Big Dance. They close by answering some of your Twitter questions.
