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Brewers rally comes up short in 5-2 loss to Phillies
MILWAUKEE -- Zach Davies showed flashes of brilliance at the end of last season after the Milwaukee Brewers inserted the young pitcher into their starting rotation after acquiring him in a trade deadline deal.
His two starts with the Brewers this season have simply been frustrating.
Davies (0-2), who struggled in his previous start on Sunday, giving up five earned runs in 2 1/3 innings, had another rough outing Friday night, surrendering four runs and nine hits over six innings as the Brewers fell to the Philadelphia Phillies 5-2.
"I'm a little frustrated. I made some improvements from last time but I struggled through the fifth (inning)," said Davies, who struck out five, walked a batter and hit another. "Wrong pitches, bad pitches. Just not executing."
He surrendered a two-run homer to Maikel Franco in the fifth, which proved to be his undoing.
"He made some mistakes up in the zone with his off-speed stuff," Milwaukee catcher Jonathan Lucroy said. "Sometimes he gets a little out of whack and loses his control a bit."
Franco homered twice and Aaron Nola pitched seven strong innings as the Phillies snapped a seven-game losing streak to the Brewers and won for just the seventh time in the last 28 games against NL Central foes.
Franco hit a two-run home run in the fifth to give Philadelphia a 4-1 lead. His blast followed a run-scoring triple by Freddy Galvis. Franco hit a solo shot over the Brewers bullpen in left in the seventh to stake the Phillies to a four-run lead.
Nola (1-2), who was rocked for seven runs over five innings in his last start, allowed four hits and retired 11 consecutive batters at one point and 16 of 17 to close out his outing. He struck out seven.
The Brewers took a 1-0 lead in the first on Chris Carter's run-scoring single. The Phillies tied the game in the fourth on Darin Ruf's RBI single.
The Brewers added a run in the ninth on consecutive doubles by Carter and Aaron Hill.
CARTER IN THE CLUTCH
Carter, signed by the Brewers to a one-year deal after Houston declined to offer him a contract in the offseason, leads the team with four home runs and 14 RBIs. "He's been a real anchor for us, that's for sure. He's done an excellent job driving in runs," manager Craig Counsell said.
STOP THIEF
Lucroy threw out two more would-be base-stealers. David Lough got caught stealing in the second and Cesar Hernandez was cut down in the third. Lucroy has thrown out eight baserunners, which leads the majors. "Our (pitchers) are giving me a chance to throw people out. They get the ball to home plate quick enough that the guy can't get a huge jump," Lucroy said.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Phillies: C Jorge Alfaro, a top prospect in the Phillies' farm system, could be back in Double-A Reading's lineup next week. Alfaro, who is hitting .500 (18-for-36) with a .750 slugging percentage, is on the 7-day DL with a strained right oblique. He's eligible to be re-instated on Monday.
Brewers: Chris Capuano, who has twice undergone Tommy John surgery, has made a team-leading eight appearances out of the bullpen, pitching multiple innings in four consecutive outings coming into Friday's game. Capuano, a non-roster invitee to spring training, pitched one inning against the Phillies, "You're judging the number of pitches, but anytime a guy throws two innings the day before, you're going to be a little hesitant and check with him to make sure he's doing all right," Counsell said.
UP NEXT
Phillies: Charlie Morton (1-1, 3.86 ERA) will make his fourth start of the season. After getting roughed up in his first outing, Morton gave up just one run and seven hits in 12 2/3 innings over his next two starts. He is 4-7 in his career against the Brewers.
Brewers: Chase Anderson (1-1, 2.25) struggled in his last outing, surrendering five runs (four earned) and a career-worst 11 hits over five innings. Anderson is 0-1 with a 5.23 ERA in two career starts against the Phillies, both coming last year with Arizona.
