The Milwaukee Brewers will look for a return on their biggest offseason trade when they host the Seattle Mariners on Saturday night.
Left-hander DL Hall (0-0, 4.50 ERA), obtained from Baltimore in February in the trade for ace Corbin Burnes, will make his second start for Milwaukee while right-hander Bryce Miller (0-1, 7.20 ERA) will get the nod for Seattle.
Milwaukee won the series opener 6-5 Friday night when Seattle reliever Andres Munoz walked four batters in the bottom of the ninth to force in the winning run and give the Brewers their fifth win in six games this season. It was Milwaukee’s first walk-off walk since July 2, 2018, against the Minnesota Twins.
Seattle’s bullpen entered the game with just five walks in 25 2/3 innings over the first seven games. Munoz had never walked more than two batters in an inning in his career.
The Mariners had tied the score at 5-5 in the top of the ninth with two runs off Abner Uribe, who had saved his first three opportunities. Uribe, in his second season, assumed the closer role when Devin Williams opened the season on the injured list with stress fractures in his back.
“He hung in there and got that last out,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said of Uribe, who picked up the win despite his first blown save. “He didn’t implode right there. He’s a young kid, just got in the big leagues last year, doesn’t even have a year in, he’s keeping his composure.”
Christian Yelich, hitting .348 while batting third after three seasons in the leadoff spot, had his third home run for Milwaukee on Friday night.
Brewers rookie Oliver Dunn, who played last season at Double-A in the Philadelphia Phillies organization, had his first major league home run and an RBI single to raise his average to .313.
“He’s also a very young player who’s never played higher than Double-A,” Murphy said. “A real credit to him, what he’s done. He prepared himself to be a big leaguer.”
Hall allowed two runs on six hits in four innings in his first start with Milwaukee but did not get a decision in a 7-6 win over the New York Mets last Saturday. He has never faced the Mariners.
For the Mariners, Miller allowed four runs on six hits in five innings in his first start, a 5-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Sunday. Miller, 8-7 with a 4.32 ERA last season as a rookie, will make his first start career start against Milwaukee.
Seattle, which dropped to 3-5, has had four games decided by one run, winning the first three. The Mariners had eight hits Friday night to raise their team batting average to .201.
“We’re not clicking on all cylinders yet, I know that,” Seattle manager Scott Servais said. “Really happy with the way we came back in this ballgame. That’s what I want to take out of it because that’s how we can play.”
Mitch Haniger, originally drafted by Milwaukee, drove in the Mariners’ first run with an RBI single in the sixth. Haniger is batting .303 (10-for-33) with two homers and seven RBI in eight career games against the Brewers.
–Field Level Media
