Mitchell’s Perfect Night Lifts Brewers Past Reds in Series Opener

There are performances that swing games, and then there are performances that announce a player’s arrival. On Wednesday night at American Family Field, Garrett Mitchell delivered the latter, going a pristine 4-for-4 with an RBI triple to lead the Milwaukee Brewers to a 4-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. It was the kind of night that makes you forget about all the strikeouts and slumps, the kind of night that reminds you why Mitchell is built for October baseball.

Garret Mitchell on 4-for-4 performance

Pitching Decisions

1.1IP1H0ER0BB2K
0.2IP2H2ER1BB0K
1.0IP1H0ER0BB1K

Star Performers

Noelvi Marte

Season AVG: .200
4AB1H1HR2RBI1R0BB
Garrett Mitchell

Season AVG: .264
4AB4H0HR1RBI1R0BB

The Brewers came out swinging from the opening pitch, and honestly, the Reds never stood a chance. A two-run first inning, courtesy of William Contreras’ RBI groundout and Jake Bauers’ sacrifice fly, gave Milwaukee an early cushion. That’s not fancy baseball, but it’s efficient baseball, and in the dog days of summer, efficiency wins ballgames.

Garrett Mitchell's four-hit game fuels Brewers' win
Brice Turang scores on Jake Bauers' sac fly

Marte’s Heroics Fall Short as Bullpen Dominates

Cincinnati refused to roll over completely. Noelvi Marte, one of the few bright spots in that struggling lineup, launched a two-run home run in the second inning that briefly made things interesting. It was a line drive to left that had some pop to it, cutting the deficit in half and keeping the Reds within striking distance.

Noelvi Marte's two-run home run (5)

But here’s where the Brewers showed their mettle. After that, it was all Milwaukee. The bullpen was absolutely immaculate, with Aaron Ashby picking up the win despite pitching just 1.1 innings, and Trevor Megill slammed the door with a clean save. This wasn’t a slugfest, folks. This was a clinic in pitching and timely hitting.

Trevor Megill closes out the Brewers' win

Mitchell’s Masterclass Puts Brewers in Driver’s Seat

But let’s get back to Mitchell, because that’s really what this game was about. Four hits in four at-bats doesn’t happen often in baseball. It’s the kind of perfection you dream about as a kid in the backyard. His go-ahead triple in the seventh inning, a sharp line drive to center field that brought Andrew Vaughn home, put this game on ice. At that point, you could feel the momentum shift permanently toward Milwaukee.

Garrett Mitchell's go-ahead triple
Garret Mitchell on 4-for-4 performance

The Brewers’ defense was crisp throughout, making the plays when they needed to be made. Sure, there were some fireworks with the ABS challenges and a pitch clock violation, but when the dust settled, Milwaukee had done everything right. They scored early, they pitched clean, and they had a superstar moment when they needed one most.

Cincinnati will get another crack at Milwaukee as this series continues, but Wednesday night belonged to the home team. The Brewers showed why they’re built to compete down the stretch, and Mitchell showed why patience with young talent eventually pays dividends. This is how you win in July when the pennant races are starting to take shape. You get quality arms, timely hitting, and most importantly, you get nights like Wednesday where a player goes out and is absolutely flawless at the plate.

Pat Murphy talks Mitchell, Drohan in 4-2 win

Box Score

Cincinnati Reds Batting

Player AB R H RBI BB SO AVG
Elly De La Cruz SS 4 0 2 0 0 2 .274
Sal Stewart 3B 4 0 1 0 0 0 .257
Spencer Steer 1B 3 0 0 0 1 1 .236
Eugenio Suárez DH 4 0 1 0 0 1 .206
Tyler Stephenson C 4 1 2 0 0 1 .230
Noelvi Marte RF 4 1 1 2 0 0 .200
Ivan Johnson LF 3 0 0 0 0 0 .000
JJ Bleday PH 1 0 0 0 0 1 .236
Matt McLain CF 3 0 0 0 0 2 .196
Edwin Arroyo 2B 3 0 1 0 0 2 .268

Cincinnati Reds Pitching

Pitcher IP H R ER BB SO ERA
Andrew Abbott 5.0 5 2 2 5 3 3.88
Tejay Antone 1.0 0 0 0 1 0 2.59
Brock Burke (L) 0.2 2 2 2 1 0 3.12
Pierce Johnson 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 4.32
Emilio Pagán 0.1 0 0 0 0 1 6.28

Milwaukee Brewers Batting

Player AB R H RBI BB SO AVG
Jackson Chourio LF 3 1 1 0 2 0 .296
Brice Turang 2B 4 1 1 0 1 0 .259
William Contreras DH 4 0 1 1 0 0 .296
Jake Bauers 1B 4 0 0 1 0 2 .268
Andrew Vaughn 1B 3 1 1 0 1 1 .339
Blake Perkins RF 0 0 0 0 0 0 .159
Garrett Mitchell CF 4 1 4 1 0 0 .264
Gary Sánchez C 2 0 0 0 2 0 .215
Cooper Pratt SS 3 0 0 0 1 0 .195
Joey Ortiz 3B 4 0 0 0 0 1 .203

Milwaukee Brewers Pitching

Pitcher IP H R ER BB SO ERA
Shane Drohan 5.2 6 2 2 1 7 3.12
Aaron Ashby (W) 1.1 1 0 0 0 2 3.16
Abner Uribe 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 3.00
Trevor Megill (SV) 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 3.27