Lewis Brinson snaps out of funk with 2 homers, Marlins drop opener to Brewers
MILWAUKEE (AP) --Lorenzo Cain credited his Brewers teammates for his big night at the plate. Ryan Braun acknowledged them for helping him achieve a major milestone.
Cain homered, doubled twice and scored four times, Braun launched a pinch-hit, three-run homer that gave him 1,000 RBIs and Milwaukee romped to a 12-3 victory over the Miami Marlins on Thursday.
"If I'm rolling, I kind of get the team going. I had a good night," Cain said. "I just feel like I need to get on base for these guys behind me. I'm just trying to do as much as possible to be on base for the guys to drive me in, because we've got a lot of good hitters behind me. Just trying to set the tone."
Lewis Brinson, acquired from Milwaukee in the offseason trade for Christian Yelich, celebrated his return to Miller Park with his first two homers of the season for Miami.
The Brewers erased a 3-2 deficit with three runs in the fifth inning and added seven in the sixth.
Cain opened the fifth with his second homer. Travis Shaw worked a two-out walk, bringing on reliever Odrisamer Despaigne. Jesus Aguilar greeted Despaigne with an RBI double and Hernan Perez blooped a run-scoring single to make it 5-3.
"We had good at-bats up and down the lineup tonight, but I thought Aggie's two-out hit there was kind of the one that really broke it open," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said.
Braun's fourth homer keyed the seven-run sixth and gave him 1,000 career RBIs.
"The biggest challenge in this game is longevity and consistency, and you can't get to a number like that unless you've played for a while and had a lot of success," Braun said. "And it also speaks to being fortunate to be on a lot of really good offensive teams. It's a result of having really good teammates and getting a ton of opportunities."
Nursing several injuries lately, Braun was held out Wednesday against Cincinnati with a sore calf.
Orlando Arcia added a solo homer in the inning, along with doubles by Cain and Jett Bandy.
Chase Anderson (2-1) allowed three runs and five hits in 5 1/3 innings for the win.
Dillon Peters (2-2) gave up four runs and three hits in 4 2/3 innings. He walked five and uncorked two wild pitches.
Brinson, mired in a 1-for-36 slump since April 2, launched a two-run homer to center in the fifth that put the Marlins up 3-2. He also connected leading off the third.
Brinson began the night batting .131 (8 for 61) with one RBI and no extra-base hits. He hadn't started since Sunday.
"My approach was good tonight," Brinson said. "I came back to a place I played last year and had a little bit of a chip on my shoulder. I wish we could have gotten the win, but it feels good. I was in a good place tonight and hopefully I can keep it going."
MILWAUKEE REUNION
It was Yelich's first game against the Marlins and the first time he and Cain started in the outfield together since April 4. Yelich came off the disabled list Tuesday and returned to action Wednesday.
BRAUN'S MILESTONE
"It's 300 homers, 1,000 RBIs now," Counsell said. "Big, round numbers. You're starting into what I think is kind of the longevity numbers. You've got to be around and productive for quite a long time to start reaching these milestones."
Braun was happy to reach the mark with a dramatic at-bat.
"I think you're able to enjoy it a little more than a broken-bat groundout or something like that. It was definitely a cool way to accomplish a special number."
ROSTER MOVES
Marlins: LHP Chris O'Grady (left shoulder strain) was placed on the 10-day DL, retroactive to Tuesday. RHP Merandy Gonzalez was recalled from Double-A Jacksonville and made his major league debut in relief to start the seventh.
Brewers: Acquired INF Tyler Saladino from the White Sox for cash. Saladino appeared in six games with Chicago, going 2 for 8 with a double. He was optioned to Triple-A Colorado Springs. RHP Alec Asher, claimed Tuesday off waivers from the Dodgers and assigned to Colorado Springs, was designated for assignment.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Marlins: Despaigne was removed in the sixth with a right forearm strain. "He was feeling tightness in there," manager Don Mattingly said. "We'll let the trainers do their work and see where he's at." ... LHP Wei-Yin Chen was scheduled to throw batting practice Friday and will make one more rehab start this weekend as he recovers from a left elbow injury. He allowed a run over 2 2/3 innings for Class A Jupiter on Tuesday.
UP NEXT
Marlins: Trevor Richards (0-1, 4.70 ERA) is coming off his best outing. The rookie right-hander allowed two hits in seven scoreless innings but didn't get a decision in a 1-0 loss to the Pirates. He has allowed just one home run in 15 1/3 innings.
Brewers: RHP Jhoulys Chacin (0-1, 5.60) has struggled to find the form that netted 13 wins last season with San Diego. His first four starts failed to produce a quality start. He has struck out 11 but walked 10 in 17 2/3 innings.
