The Milwaukee Brewers are on a hot streak both on offense and in the standings. After slaughtering the Reds at home, the Brewers began a road series against the Atlanta Braves and kept up their hot hitting ways to secure a 6-3 victory to start a 9 game road trip.
The offense got started right away in the first inning against Braves opener Jesse Chavez. Leadoff man Kolten Wong got things started with a single, then Andrew McCutchen followed. With two on, Rowdy Tellez crushed a 1-0 pitch to dead center, just missing a home run but hitting off the wall for a two run double.
With the Crew out to a 2-0 lead early, Eric Lauer was in cruise control. He set down the Braves in order the first three innings before Ronald Acuna Jr slugged a solo home run to center in the 4th. Later in the inning, with two on, Lorenzo Cain caught a shallow fly ball and had both runners caught way off the base, but instead of throwing to second base where Willy Adames was covering, Cain threw to first base and no one was there, allowing both runners to advance.
Cain atoned for the error on the next play, another shallow fly ball, and he threw to third base to catch the tagging Austin Riley to end the inning, but not before Matt Olson scored and tied the game.
It wouldn't be tied for long as in the 6th inning with the bases loaded, Cain hits a ground ball and the Braves try for the double play to end the inning, but Cain beats the throw. A run scores and that allows the inning to continue where the Brewers draw a couple of walks, including an RBI walk by Adames, and then an infield single by Yelich where the throw gets away to allow another run to score.
The Brewers end up scoring 4 runs in the 6th to take a 6-2 lead.
Dansby Swanson would hit a solo home run in the 8th to make it 6-3 but Josh Hader came in for the 9th for his first appearance in over a week and he locked down his 11th save of the year.
Eric Lauer finished with a line of 6.1 IP with 2 hits allowed, one ER, three walks, and eight strikeouts. He gets the win and moves to 3-0. Collin McHugh (0-1, 6.10 ERA) takes the loss.
Saturday night it'll be reigning Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes on the mound for the Crew against the Braves' Max Fried.