Devin Williams retired Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman in order in the ninth inning to secure the Milwaukee Brewers’ 5-4 victory over Los Angeles on Wednesday that ended the Dodgers’ five-game winning streak.
Williams needed just seven pitches to take out those three MVPs and earn his second save in as many opportunities. Ohtani hit a fly to left, Betts struck out, and Freeman grounded out to second base.
“I don’t know if there’s a better 1-2-3 in the league,” Williams said. “It was definitely a good test. I passed it today. Maybe I’ll have to do it again tomorrow.”
The Brewers scored just four hits but capitalized on three Dodgers errors to end a three-game losing streak. Milwaukee is the only major league team that has not lost at least four games in a row this season.
“We held our own,” said Brewers manager Pat Murphy. “These are the Brewers you’ve seen all year.”
Los Angeles’ most serious mistake came in the seventh inning, when Betts misplayed a ball in right field, allowing Joey Ortiz to score the winning run on a single by Jackson Chourio.
“I know this guy (Ortiz) is fast,” Betts said. “I wanted to make a play. I just missed it.”
Ortiz started the seventh after being hit by a pitch from Brent Honeywell (0-1). After Ortiz advanced to second base on Brice Turang’s sacrifice bunt, Chourio hit a single into shallow right field.
As the ball rolled past Betts, Ortiz came all the way home and Chourio advanced to second base. Chourio was not awarded an RBI on this play.
The Dodgers tied the game in the seventh inning when Miguel Rojas hit a pinch-hit RBI single against Jared Koenig (9-3) with two outs.
Dodgers starter Walker Buehler came off the injured list and allowed four runs — one earned — in 3 1/3 innings after missing nearly two months with right hip inflammation. He posted three strikeouts and allowed three hits and four walks.
Los Angeles lost despite taking a 3-0 lead in the first inning.
Frankie Montas’ walk to Teoscar Hernández with the bases loaded brought home Ohtani, who had started the game on an error by Ortiz. Later in the inning, Betts came home on a sacrifice fly by Kiké Hernández and Freeman scored on Kevin Kiermaier’s double with two outs.
Montas recovered from his rough start and allowed no more runs in his five innings, striking out six players and allowing five hits, three walks and three unearned runs.
Buehler left all bases running at the start of the first inning, but the Brewers were unable to take advantage.
Turang tried to score from third base on Wiliam Contreras’ fly to center, but Kiermaier threw him out. Willy Adames then struck out and ended the threat.
Kiermaier’s throw to the batting crease was 99 miles per hour, the fastest assist in the outfield by a Dodgers player since Statcast began measuring such speeds in 2015.
The Brewers tied the game at three runs in a second-inning rally that featured a home run by Jake Bauers and an RBI triple by Turang.
Milwaukee took a 4-3 lead in the fourth period but missed a chance to do more damage.
Kiké Hernández made an error on a bouncer from Ortiz to third base that scored Garrett Mitchell from third base. Turang then greeted Anthony Banda with one out on an apparent double down the left field line that would have put runners on third and second base.
The problem was that Ortiz slid to second base, took a step back, and then failed to put the bag back on before heading to third base. After Dodgers manager Dave Roberts left the dugout and held a mound meeting, Banda threw to second base on an appeal play and Ortiz was ruled out.
Roberts said after the game that three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw noticed Ortiz’s mistake from the bench and pointed it out, leading to the call.
Although Turang remained on second base, his apparent double was ruled a fielder’s decision. Chourio ended the rally with a groundout.
TRAINING ROOM
Dodgers IF Tommy Edman (wrist) and IF Max Muncy (oblique) are expected to return early next week. RHP Ryan Brasier (calf) is expected to return Saturday.
Next
RHP Jack Flaherty (9-5, 2.97 ERA) will pitch for the Dodgers and RHP Tobias Myers (6-5, 2.79) will start for the Dodgers when this four-game series ends Thursday afternoon.
