The Milwaukee Brewers were trying to make it two straight over the New York Yankees on May 9 at American Family Field, and Brice Turang nearly stole the game for them in the eighth inning. He punched a 105.1 mph single through the right side with two outs and nobody on, stole second on the next pitch for his eighth steal of the year, and scored on William Contreras’ 102 mph single to left to tie it 2-2.
That rally came after Cam Schlittler had spent six innings making the Brewers chase. The right-hander struck out seven, allowed only two hits and never let Milwaukee put a runner in scoring position, lowering his MLB-best ERA to 1.35. He finished with nine whiffs on 21 swings, a reminder that the Yankees’ young starter was still dictating almost everything.
The Brewers had already beaten New York 6-0 on Friday, another unbelievable start by The Miz, and they kept finding ways to hang around. Kyle Harrison started on the mound for Milwaukee, but Chad Patrick ended up pitching out of the bullpen in the fifth inning after returning to a relief role following struggles as a starter. Patrick gave the Brewers three scoreless innings without allowing a walk and struck out five, giving them a chance to stay in the game even after Schlittler’s clean work.
The biggest swing of the night belonged to Jake Bauers, who opened the seventh with a home run on the first pitch he saw from Brent Headrick. Andrew Vaughn then drew a pinch-hit walk, giving New York another chance to build on the lead before Turang’s speed and Contreras’ bat swung the game back the other way. For the Brewers, the night was another test of whether they could keep matching a Yankees team that had finally found a starter capable of controlling them.
Schlittler’s line was the one that carried the most weight. A two-hit, seven-strikeout outing in six innings, against a club that had just blanked New York the day before, gave him another strong step in a season that has started with command and power. For Milwaukee, the question was less about one inning than whether its pitching changes and late offense could keep holding up in a series where one starter after another has set the tone.
