The Milwaukee Brewers welcomed key players back to the lineup. It did not matter.
The Milwaukee Brewers fell to the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday, 6-3.
The Brewers are now losers of consecutive games after winning three in a row. Which moments stood out?
Jackson’s Big Return
On Monday, Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio made his season debut after missing more than a month with a left hand fracture, and he immediately demonstrated how important he is to Milwaukee’s offense.
Chourio went 4-for-4 at the plate and drew a walk in the loss, demonstrating no signs of rust after he made his way back into an MLB batter’s box after weeks of being sidelined. Two of Chourio’s hits were doubles, including his first hit of the night in the top of the first to center field.
Andrew Vaughn, another key offensive presence for the Brewers, also made his long-awaited return after suffering a left hamate fracture in Milwaukee’s 14-2 Opening Day win over the Chicago White Sox. Vaughn did not have the type of strong Chourio did after going 0-for-4 on Monday, but his return to the lineup is valuable and needed.
Rough Day for Patrick
The Brewers gave the starting nod to right-hander Chad Patrick, marking his fifth of the season. However, it was short-lived.
Patrick only lasted 3 ⅓ innings before his evening was over. After allowing two hits in the first inning, Patrick gave up two more in the second that gave the Cardinals a 1-0 lead.
The bottom of the fourth inning proved to be the low point of Patrick’s outing as he allowed two doubles, one of which drove in three runs. After giving up the three-run double, Patrick was heading back to the dugout in favor of reliever DL Hall.
Over 3 ⅓ innings, Patrick allowed seven hits, four earned runs, and three walks while striking out four batters.
Unable to Convert
The Brewers were able to match the Cardinals in hits as the former went 11-for-37 and the latter went 11-for 34. Yet Milwaukee could only get half as many runners across the plate.
While St. Louis was able to turn half of its hits into RBIs, the Brewers went just 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position. Second baseman Brice Turang, who went 3-for-5 at the plate, had two of the team's three RBIs, and too many opportunities were squandered for them to notch a victory.
What Now?
As winners of two straight series, Milwaukee can give itself a chance to avoid dropping the three-game set to the Cardinals by winning the second game of the series that will take place on Tuesday at 6:45 p.m. CT.
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