MILWAUKEE (AP) — Jake Bauers drove in the go-ahead run with a pinch-hit infield single that capped a four-run eighth inning as the Milwaukee Brewers overcame an eight-run deficit and avoided a series sweep, rallying for a 10-9 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday.
The Brewers trailed 8-0 in the third before chipping away and tying that game at 9 by scoring three runs with two outs in the eighth inning. Jackson Chourio walked, took second on Blake Perkins’ single, and scored on Garrett Mitchell’s RBI single to make it 9-7. Justin Martinez (5-6) relieved and Rhys Hoskins tied it with a two-run single to left.
Willy Adames doubled and Hoskins advanced to third base before Bauers hit a run-scoring, slow-rolling grounder for a single to the left side.
Milwaukee’s comeback from the eight-run deficit matched the franchise’s second-largest. The Seattle Pilots overcame an 11-3 deficit to beat Washington 16-13 on May 10, 1969, and the Brewers gave up eight first-inning runs to Cleveland in a 12-9 win on May 20, 1986. The Brewers’ only larger comeback was when they trailed Cincinnati by nine runs in the fourth inning on April 28, 2004, and won 10-9.
Jared Koenig (9-4) earned the win and the Brewers’ Devin Williams worked a scoreless ninth for his 13th save in 14 chances. It was the fourth time in franchise history the Brewers have rallied to win from a deficit of eight or more runs.
“The Brewers don’t shut down with two outs,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. “They get even more stubborn with two outs. They did it to us for several days at Chase (Field) and it continued today.”
Milwaukee rallied within 8-4 with a run in the third, two in the fourth and an unearned run in the sixth. Milwaukee made it 8-6 in the seventh on RBI doubles by Hoskins and Adames.
“If you slice it up any possible way, you can’t give up seven runs in three innings,” Lovullo said. “You’re going to lose a lot of baseball that way, if that’s what coming out of your bullpen. That is not our bullpen. They’re going to pick it up.”
Arizona (87-69) remained behind San Diego in the race for the NL wild card. The New York Mets, also in the wild-card race, play Sunday night against Philadelphia. Milwaukee (89-67), which clinched the NL Central title Wednesday, remained the only team in the major leagues this season without a losing streak of four or more games.
“Let me tell you what we learned,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “We’re not good enough, after all we’ve been through, and all the injuries and adversity that we’ve faced this year — we’ve all been through it and it’s old — we’re not good enough to take our foot off the gas.”
Randal Grichuk’s pinch-hit RBI single in the eighth off Jared Koenig (9-4) put Arizona up 9-6. Mitchell answered with an RBI single in the bottom half.
“It’s nice to see that we didn’t roll over,” Hoskin said. “Totally could have. That’s a good team over there, that’s what they done to us these last three nights.”
Josh Bell and Eugenio Suárez homered in a seven-run third inning off Milwaukee starter Frankie Montas (7-12), who lasted just 2 2/3 innings. Geraldo Perdomo tripled into the corner in right field with one out and raced home on an errant throw by second baseman Brice Turang.
Arizona loaded the bases on a single, walk and catcher’s interference. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. followed with an RBI ground-out and Jake McCarthy delivered a two-run single to right, giving Arizona a 5-0 lead.
Bell followed with his 19th homer, a 436-foot shot to center, and Suarez added his 29th homer to put the Diamondbacks in front 8-0.
Montas was tagged for eight runs, seven earned, on six hits, with two walks and four strikeouts.
Ketel Marte put the Diamondbacks up 1-0 with one out in the first with his career-high 35th home run.
