Jacob Misiorowski delivered six strong innings as the Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-1.
The Milwaukee Brewers continued to make their case as one of the National League's top teams Saturday night, earning a 4-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in a matchup between division leaders.
Jacob Misiorowski set the tone from the mound, delivering one of his strongest outings of the season against a dangerous Dodgers lineup. The right-hander worked six innings, allowing just one run on five hits while striking out six and walking only one.
Misiorowski immediately showed the kind of stuff that can make him difficult to handle. He opened the night by challenging Shohei Ohtani with overwhelming velocity, eventually getting the Dodgers star to pop out.
Misiorowski later struck out Ohtani and also fanned Freddie Freeman to escape a bases-loaded situation in the fifth inning without allowing the Dodgers to take control.
The Brewers gave their starter an early lead in the second inning.
Joey Ortiz launched a two-run homer to left field, giving Milwaukee its first advantage after William Contreras extended the inning with a two-out single. The home run continued an impressive stretch for Ortiz, who has now driven in a run in three consecutive games and has hits in four straight.
Los Angeles managed to cut into the deficit in the third inning. Ohtani delivered a two-out triple into the right-field corner, bringing Alex Call home and pulling the Dodgers within one.
Milwaukee responded quickly.
Contreras provided the biggest offensive blow of the night in the fourth inning, driving a cutter over the wall for a two-run homer. The blast pushed the Brewers' advantage back to three runs and gave Contreras his 12th home run of the season.
The performance also represented a turnaround for Contreras, who had struggled at the plate during the beginning of Milwaukee's Southern California road trip. He entered Saturday having gone hitless in his previous 15 at-bats before finishing the night 2-for-4.
From there, Milwaukee's pitching staff did enough to keep the Dodgers from finding another opening.
Misiorowski handed the ball to the bullpen after six innings, and the Brewers maintained their three-run cushion. Aaron Ashby ultimately recorded his first save of the season, working through a difficult ninth inning and striking out Call to end the game after Los Angeles put two runners aboard.
The victory gives Milwaukee two wins in the first three games of the four-game series and another impressive result against a fellow division leader.
The Brewers will have a chance to win the series outright Sunday, with Logan Henderson scheduled to start against Dodgers left-hander Tarik Skubal in the finale.
