It was an early back-and-forth battle at American Family Field on Tuesday. In Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series, the third-seeded Brewers hosted the sixth-seeded Mets. Through the first four innings, the teams traded the lead. But a five-run top of the fifth by New York was a gut punch Milwaukee couldn’t overcome.
The Brewers took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first against Mets starter Luis Severino. Facing Milwaukee’s ace, Freddy Peralta, a Jesse Winker two-run triple sparked a three-run top of the second for the Mets. After a scoreless third inning, the Brewers retook the lead in the fourth on a Jackson Chourio double and William Contreras groundout.
A half inning later, the Mets took the lead again. Carlos Mendoza’s club took advantage of a set of defensive miscues by the Brewers and didn’t look back. Severino settled in after the fourth, retiring the final eight batters he faced. New York didn’t record another hit after the fifth. But neither did Milwaukee, whose final 17 batters went down without reaching base.
Chourio started the top of the fifth with a great catch up against the left-field wall. The young outfielder then misjudged a liner that ended up sailing over his head for a double by Tyrone Taylor. After Joel Payamps struck out Francisco Alvarez for the second out of the frame, the right-hander walked Francisco Lindor. Two-out walks can haunt a team. This two-out free pass did just that to the Brewers.
Jose Iglesias followed Lindor’s walk with a hot shot toward first base. Rhys Hoskins made an impressive diving pick. The first baseman couldn’t get back to his feet, needing Payamps to cover the bag to help record the third out. The Brewers’ reliever was late to first. Hoskins lightly tossed the ball to him, but it didn’t matter. Iglesias was safe, the Mets were still alive and Taylor scored from second on the play. Game tied, 4-4.
Milwaukee skipper Pat Murphy then turned to left-hander Aaron Ashby to face Brandon Nimmo, a left-handed hitter. Nimmo grounded a ball to shortstop Willy Adames, who fielded the ball moving toward his right. Adames couldn’t control the ball as it popped out of his glove, making it impossible to even try to make a play. Nimmo was safe at first. Bases loaded. Open the floodgates.
With the Brewers keeping the Mets alive, the Mets pounced. A Mark Vientos single drove in a pair. After intentionally walking Pete Alonso, Ashby gave up another single to J.D. Martinez. Two more runs scored, giving the Mets an 8-4 lead, capping a five-run top of the fifth. All five Mets runs came with two outs.
New York now has Milwaukee on the ropes. They need one more win to advance to the NLDS against the Phillies. The Brewers need to string together back-to-back wins to move on. The odds are in the Mets’ favor. They were able to win knowing they probably weren’t going to use Edwin Díaz — the right-hander fired 66 pitches between Sunday and Monday — in the later innings of Game 1. His status for Game 2 is unknown.
Either way, the Brewers, who were able to line up their pitching how they wanted and knew they likely wouldn’t have to face Díaz, squandered a big opportunity on Tuesday. On top of having their pitchers set and not facing New York’s top reliever, the Brewers were facing a team in the Mets who were coming off a doubleheader on Monday that was followed by a champagne celebration to commemorate their trip to the playoffs. New York then had to hop on a plane to get to Milwaukee after leaving Milwaukee Sunday evening for their Monday doubleheader in Atlanta. Heading into the series, the odds were right where the Brewers wanted them to be. And now they aren’t.
The first pitch of Game 2 between the Mets and Brewers is scheduled for Wednesday at 7:38 p.m. ET on ESPN. A Mets win, and the Phillies will know their NLDS opponent. If the Brewers win, Rob Thomson and company will have to continue to wait to see who they’ll play starting Saturday.
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- Also from Tim: The Phillies haven’t announced their NLDS rotation yet, and with some people lobbying for Cristopher Sánchez to start Game 2 instead of Aaron Nola, the veteran right-hander is ready for whatever the club needs from him.
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