MILWAUKEE -- It took facing the worst pitching staff in baseball to do so, but the Milwaukee Brewers finally got the bust-out offensive performance they've been longing for.
After scoring three runs or fewer in their last five games, the Brewers received contributions from a variety of sources in an 8-3 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Miller Park. It was not only the most runs the Brewers have scored at home this season, but also it was the most runs they've tallied in over two weeks.
"It feels good to have so many guys that had good offensive days today," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. "When you're looking through the lineup and you have guys contributing down in the order, that's big. Hopefully we get it going and we can score a few more runs every game."
Carlos Gomez, who led off the bottom of the first with his team-leading eighth home run of the season, was on base five times and drove in three runs with his two hits. His two-run single in the sixth inning turned a one-run lead into a 6-3 lead.
Moved up to the second spot in the batting order with Jonathan Lucroy getting the day off, Jean Segura had two hits, including a two-run home run in the sixth. Backup catcher Martin Maldonado got in on the action, connecting for a two-run home run in the second off Diamondbacks starter Mike Bolsinger.
Arizona entered Monday with a major-league worst 4.95 team ERA. The Diamondbacks have already used seven different starting pitchers, as the rookie Bolsinger was making just his fifth career start.
After Brewers starter Matt Garza allowed a run in a 25-pitch first inning, Bolsinger tried to sneak a fastball by Gomez to start his night and paid dearly for it. The aggressive center fielder jumped all over it for a 410-foot home run.
"The road trip in Cincinnati was a little tough, so to come back home and start the game like that was real amazing," Gomez said. "I took advantage of the first pitch. Garza had a long inning, so I know that guy would try to throw the ball close to the zone, and I didn't try to do too much. I just tried to hit it to the middle of the ballpark and make solid contact."
In his next four at-bats, Gomez saw a total of 26 pitches. He worked three walks and added the two-run single, all on 3-2 pitches.
"I had a plan today before the game started," Gomez said. "When I drive my way over here I think a little bit. The last five or six games I've felt so good that I've swung at pitches out of the strike zone so much. So today when I hit BP, I was looking for pitches I could swing good at. That's where everything started today, in the cage and BP. I swung at the pitches that I wanted to."
Making his first start since leaving last Wednesday's outing with a right thumb contusion after allowing five earned runs in three innings, Garza's night started out rocky.
Garza needed 33 pitches to get through the third, an inning that could have been a whole lot worse than it was. After hitting Gerardo Parra with a 1-2 pitch, Garza allowed three straight singles that scored a pair of runs to tie the game at 3.
A walk to Chris Owings then loaded the bases, but Garza struck out Alfredo Marte and Ender Inciarte to end the threat. He then settled in and worked three scoreless innings to keep the Brewers in the game.
"It was really satisfying," Garza said. "I felt like I got some timing and a little bit of rhythm going. I just want to keep it going to the next start. It was bumpy early, but the guys just stood behind me and backed me."
Sometimes all it takes for an offense to get going is a couple of big nights strung together. The Brewers have been facing a lot of quality pitchers in the early going and are facing a team that struggles on the mound for the first time since the Philadelphia series.
With two more games against the Arizona pitching staff before facing Yankees rookie phenom Masahiro Tanaka on Friday, the Brewers have a chance to gain some offensive confidence in the coming days.
"Baseball is like that," Gomez said. "It can be crazy. We know we are going to have a series where we are going to be struggling offensively and sometimes pitching. It's important how we bounce back. That's what we've been doing so far this season. We've found a way to come back and play the right baseball."
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