Yastrzemski’s homer in the 7th sparks Giants to 5-4 victory over Brewers

AP Sports Writer

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Mike Yastrzemski hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning to put the San Francisco Giants ahead for good in a 5-4 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night.

The Giants played their fourth straight one-run game. They’ve gone 2-2 during that stretch.

“We’re pushing for a wild-card spot right now … so we’re just trying to get these games, just trying to win these one-run games as much as we can,” said Grant McCray, who also homered for the Giants. “They’re little nail-biters, but as long as we keep pulling through, we’re good.”

San Francisco’s Matt Chapman went 3 for 4 with a solo shot.

Thairo Estrada nearly homered as well, but Milwaukee’s Blake Perkins reached his gloved arm over the center-field wall to catch the Giants second baseman’s leadoff drive in the fifth inning. Perkins has four homer-preventing catches this season.

“It’s cool,” Perkins said. “Again, I wish it would have meant more in the game in the end, but it’s still cool.”

The Giants trailed 4-3 before Chapman opened the seventh with a single off Joel Payamps (3-6), who had been unscored upon in his last 11 appearances. Yastrzemski followed with a drive over the wall in right-center.

“They have a really good bullpen,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said. “They have a really good pitching staff, period. But the guys they bring in later in the game can be very difficult. You’re fortunate to get on a guy quickly like him, who’s really good, and kind of put pressure on him early in the inning.”

Milwaukee’s Willy Adames and Jackson Chourio hit towering two-run homers off Giants starter Logan Webb. Before Tuesday, Webb hadn’t allowed a homer in his last 43 1/3 innings.

Chourio’s 449-foot homer – the longest by any Brewer this season — hit just above the “O” in the “One Call…That’s All” slogan on a Gruber Law Offices ad on the bottom left corner of the 12,077-square-foot, center-field scoreboard at American Family Field.

According to MLB.com, the only other players to hit a homer that long in the 20 seasons since Statcast started measuring such data in 2015 were Carlos Correa, Fernando Tatis Jr., Ronald Acuña Jr. and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Chourio’s homer put the Brewers ahead 2-1 in the third. The Giants tied the game on Chapman’s two-out homer in the fourth and pulled ahead 3-2 on McCray’s solo shot in the fifth off Milwaukee’s Tobias Myers.

Myers struck out four and allowed three runs, three hits and one walk in five innings.

Milwaukee regained the lead on Adames’ two-run homer, a 435-foot shot to left-center in the sixth inning. Adames’ blast ended the night for Webb, who struck out four but allowed four hits, four runs and three walks.

The Brewers loaded the bases later in the sixth, but Camilo Doval (5-1) retired Chourio on a fly to deep center to end the threat. That missed opportunity proved costly once the Giants rallied in the seventh.

Milwaukee had two men on in the bottom of the seventh, but McCray caught a long fly from Rhys Hoskins at the center-field warning track to end the rally. The Brewers wasted a leadoff single from Sal Frelick in the eighth.

Ryan Walker allowed a two-out single to Adames in the ninth before for retiring Perkins on a fly to right to earn his fourth save in eight opportunities.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Giants: LHP Robbie Ray (left hamstring strain) and RHP Jordan Hicks (right shoulder inflammation) went on the 15-day injured list. Ray’s move was retroactive to Monday. The Giants recalled RHPs Austin Warren and Landen Roupp from Triple-A Sacramento.

Brewers: OF Christian Yelich spoke to reporters for the first time since undergoing season-ending back surgery on Aug. 16. The 2018 NL MVP expressed optimism the procedure will help his long-term fortunes. “It’s almost two weeks out, I’m walking around pretty normal, so everything on that end is pretty good,” Yelich said.

UP NEXT

LHP Kyle Harrison (7-5, 4.00 ERA) pitches for the Giants and RHP Freddy Peralta (8-7, 3.86) starts for the Brewers when this three-game series continues Wednesday.

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