Oriole Park at Camden Yards80°, Partly Cloudy25,304
Recap
Player of the gameJackson ChourioMIL2/5 1hr 3rbi
BALTIMORE – With another late-inning rally -- two, actually -- the Brewers moved closer to clinching a well-deserved vacation before the start of their postseason push. Jackson Chourio belted a three-run home run for a second-inning lead and stole two more bases to leave him only one shy of a third straight 20-20 season. But it took William Contreras and Christian Yelich delivering run-scoring hits in the ninth inning and Sal Frelick pushing the Brewers ahead again in the 10th for a 6-5 win over the Orioles at Camden Yards on Friday. It lowered to three the combination of Brewers wins and Braves losses necessary to secure a first-round bye for Milwaukee in the National League playoff field. The Brewers (96-58) are aiming higher, trying to hold off the Dodgers for the best record in the NL and the Rays for MLB’s best overall record to ensure home-field advantage throughout the postseason. “This team wants every win,” said Milwaukee starter Dustin May. Win No. 96, one shy of the Brewers' franchise record set last season, did not come easily. They had to overcome Pete Alonso’s game-tying three-run homer off May back in the third inning, then had to overcome Trevor Megill’s first blown save since June 5. But it’s not the first time the Brewers have gotten the job done late. Their 14 victories this season after being tied or trailing after eight innings are tied with the Padres for third-most in the Majors. Only the Cubs (16) and Braves (15) have more. "You know what kind of players they have. They’re a really gritty group,” said Orioles third baseman Coby Mayo. “They play small ball, they don’t strike out, they put the ball in play. And then, I just saw it tonight, they have a bunch of guys in their bullpen that throw super hard. They’re a good team." Here are three takeaways:
