The Milwaukee Brewers closed out a dominant homestand in style on Thursday, rolling past the San Diego Padres 7-1 behind a stellar pitching performance from Kyle Harrison and a big day at the plate from Luis Rengifo.
Harrison was in complete control, striking out seven over five scoreless innings while scattering five hits and walking none. The left-hander improved to 4-1 on the season and lowered his ERA to an impressive 2.09, giving the Brewers exactly what they needed to secure the series win.
The Brewers wasted no time putting this one out of reach. They jumped all over Padres starter Griffin Canning in the first inning, scoring three runs after he walked four straight batters following a leadoff strikeout. Andrew Vaughn drew a bases-loaded walk to force in the first run, and Rengifo followed with a two-run single to right on a 3-2 pitch.
Milwaukee kept the pressure on in the second, tacking on three more runs. Brice Turang and Gary Sánchez each delivered RBI doubles, and Vaughn added a run-scoring single to make it 6-0. Canning couldn't make it out of the second inning and has now allowed 12 runs over his last two starts—spanning just six innings—without giving up a single home run.
The Brewers added another run in the fourth when Vaughn doubled and scored on Rengifo's second RBI single of the game, pushing the lead to 7-0. That was more than enough for a Milwaukee bullpen that kept San Diego off the board until the ninth, when Nick Castellanos scored an unearned run to spoil the shutout.
The win capped a 5-1 homestand for the Brewers, who swept the New York Yankees before taking two of three from the Padres. It's the kind of momentum any team dreams of carrying on the road.
One note for Brewers fans: Christian Yelich was out of the starting lineup for the second straight game and has played only once since being activated from the injured list Tuesday. Manager Pat Murphy said Yelich is dealing with back soreness after missing about a month with an adductor strain. The team will likely take a cautious approach with their star outfielder.
Up next, the Brewers head to Minnesota for a three-game series starting Friday. They haven't named a starter for the opener, while the Twins will send Joe Ryan (2-3, 3.43 ERA) to the mound. The Padres, meanwhile, travel to Seattle for a three-game set, with Randy Vásquez (4-1, 3.05) scheduled to face Mariners right-hander Emerson Hancock (3-1, 3.21).