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07/21/19 07:53:00
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07/21 19:51 CDT Saladino hits grand slam, Brewers beat Diamondbacks 7-4
Saladino hits grand slam, Brewers beat Diamondbacks 7-4
By JOHN MARSHALL
AP Sports Writer
PHOENIX (AP) --- Milwaukee's final day in the desert was not going well. The
Brewers trailed by four runs after three innings, starter Brandon Woodruff went
down with an injury and there was little reason to expect another comeback.
One long-time-coming swing by Tyler Saladino changed the momentum, sending
Milwaukee home with a second straight series win.
Saladino had his first career grand slam and the Brewers beat up on Arizona's
bullpen for the second straight game to rally for a 7-4 win over the
Diamondbacks on Sunday.
"To come through right there in the way that it happened was huge, got us fired
up," Saladino said.
Milwaukee struggled against Arizona starter Alex Young early before putting
together what appeared to be an innocuous two-out rally.
Saladino, hitting .102 entering Sunday's game, changed the dynamic with one
swing, hitting his first homer since Sept. 1, a grand slam in the fourth inning
after Milwaukee fell behind 4-0.
Mike Moustakas hit a go-ahead three-run homer in Saturday night's 8-3 win and
put the Brewers ahead late again, chopping a single through the middle after
Keston Hiura led off the eighth inning with a triple against Yoan Lopez (1-4).
Pinch hitter Yasmani Grandal followed with a run-scoring double and Ben Gamel
added an RBI single to put Milwaukee up 7-4.
Milwaukee All-Star right-hander Brandon Woodruff allowed four runs before
leaving after two pitches in the fourth with a left oblique strain.
The Brewers' bullpen picked up the slack for a second straight game, holding
Arizona scoreless over the final six innings.
Freddy Peralta (4-3) walked one in the seventh inning and Josh Hader worked
around a single in the ninth for his 22nd save. The Brewers have won five of
six after winning consecutive series for the first time since early May.
"Dynamite work all series by the bullpen," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said.
"That's where the wins came from this series."
Alex Avila hit his 100th career homer, a two-run shot in the second inning to
put the Diamondbacks up 4-0.
Young got into trouble in the fourth inning, leading to Saladino's grand slam,
and Arizona's bullpen struggled for the second straight game. Diamondbacks'
relievers allowed 16 runs in the series.
"It is a lot of runs and it is more than we are used to giving up," Arizona
manager Torey Lovullo said. "They're better than that."
Woodruff allowed three earned runs in 20 1/3 innings over his three previous
starts before arriving in the desert, but the Diamondbacks hit him hard from
the start.
Christian Walker had a sacrifice fly in the first inning, Avila hit a two-run
homer high off the centerfield wall and Eduardo Escobar put Arizona up 4-0 in
the third with a run-scoring single.
Woodruff left the game after grimacing on his second pitch to Tim Locastro to
open the fourth inning. Counsell said Woodruff would have an MRI on Monday and
go on the 10-day injured list.
Young had been dominant since being called up in June --- 3-0, 0.96 ERA --- and
looked that way again through three innings against Milwaukee. The rookie
left-hander ran into trouble in the fourth when the Brewers loaded the bases
with two outs and Saladino tied the game with his grand slam.
"They just stopped swinging at off-speed pitches and I was falling behind in
counts," Young said. "The pitch to Saladino was left right over the plate."
SPECTACULAR CATCH
Locastro had a candidate for catch of the year for a grab in the first inning.
Chasing down a slicing foul ball by Moustakas, Locastro sprinted toward the
line in left and laid out headfirst to make the grab. He slid across the dirt
and slammed headfirst into the wall before tossed the ball back to the infield
from a seated position.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Brewers: RHP Jimmy Nelson pitched an inning for Class-A Wisconsin on Sunday in
his first rehab assignment while recovering from an elbow injury. ... 3B Ryan
Braun was out of the lineup with a stiff back, but he did fly out as a pinch
hitter in the ninth. Braun will miss Monday's game against the Reds to attend
the funeral of Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs, who was found dead in a
Texas hotel room on July 1.
Diamondbacks: OF David Peralta (shoulder) was scheduled to get a few at-bats in
the Arizona League Sunday night.
UP NEXT
Brewers: RHP Chase Anderson (5-2, 3.96 ERA), Monday's starter against
Cincinnati, is 4-2 with a 3.88 ERA since moving from the bullpen to the
rotation.
Diamondbacks: LHP Robbie Ray (8-6, 3.92) is 3-0 with a 2.95 ERA his past three
starts heading into Monday's series opener against Baltimore.
___
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