Just three outs from winning the first World Series title in franchise history, the Milwaukee Brewers' bullpen finally faltered. Left-hander Aaron Ashby retired all seven batters he faced in Game 4 against Tampa Bay and broke Andrew Miller's record for scoreless innings by a reliever in one postseason. But manager Pat Murphy pulled Ashby with one out in the 11th, turning to Antonio Senzatela, who got two outs to finish that inning.
The Brewers took a 3-2 lead on a solo homer by rookie Cooper Pratt, but third baseman Joey Ortiz made a throwing error on Junior Caminero's leadoff grounder in the 12th. Rookie left-hander Shane Drohan entered and allowed four straight singles, and the Rays avoided a sweep with a 4-3 victory Tuesday night. "I'm human. I knew what I was walking into. I just didn't do the job there," said Drohan.
Ortiz took the blame for his error. "I've got to make that play. Just no excuse about it, no matter what anyone says," he said. Murphy explained that Ashby's velocity had dropped as his pitch count climbed, and the team wanted to protect his health. Ashby, who finished the season 13-3 with a 3.12 ERA, had been nearly untouchable in October, allowing five hits and striking out 20.
Ashby passed Miller's record of 16 scoreless relief innings from 2016 with Cleveland. Including the regular season, he has thrown a career-best 22⅔ straight scoreless innings. The Brewers turn to ace Jacob Misiorowski in Game 5 on Wednesday night, looking to keep their title hopes alive.
Source: ESPN MLB · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing