The surging Milwaukee Brewers will turn to right-hander Joe Ross in an effort to keep their momentum going when they host the New York Yankees on Saturday night in the middle game of the weekend series.
Ross (1-2, 4.05 ERA) will be opposed by left-hander Carlos Rodon (1-1, 2.70) for the Yankees, who have lost seven of 12 games after starting the season 12-3. The Brewers are 7-2 in their past nine games.
Milwaukee rallied to win the series opener 7-6 on Friday night on Joey Ortiz’s walk-off single in the 11th inning after the Yankees failed to score in the top half. Each team scored one run in the 10th.
Ortiz, acquired from Baltimore in a February trade for pitcher Corbin Burnes, also hit his first career homer, a two-run shot in the second. He drove in his fourth run with a sacrifice fly to tie it 5-5 in the sixth.
The Yankees got a three-run homer from Trent Grisham, and solo shots by Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo off starter Colin Rea in four innings for a 5-4 lead.
“He’s emerged into an everyday player,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said of Ortiz, who plays primarily at third base. “His defense has been spectacular, and he’s shown flashes of being a great offensive player, and he hits the ball hard.”
Milwaukee, a major-league-best 7-1 in one-run games, improved to a season-high nine games above .500 at 17-8.
The Brewers’ bullpen continues to sparkle. Milwaukee relievers have a 1.25 ERA over the last 15 games and have not allowed more than one earned run in eight straight games.
Ross was saddled with the loss in his most recent start, giving up two runs (one earned) in 5 1/3 innings in a 4-2 defeat at Pittsburgh on Monday. Opponents are hitting .272 against Ross, who didn’t play in the majors the past two seasons after a second Tommy John surgery.
Ross’ only career appearance vs. New York was with the Washington Nationals in 2021, when he allowed two runs in five innings without a decision in a 3-2 loss.
Rodon also registered a no-decision his last time out despite giving up just one hit over seven scoreless innings in his team’s 2-0 loss to Oakland on Monday.
“I thought he made a lot of really good pitches,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said after the outing. “Had a little bit of everything that factored in.”
Rodon has allowed three runs or less in each of his first five starts.
Rodon is 0-1 in three career starts vs. Milwaukee, allowing six runs (four earned) in 11 innings with 13 strikeouts and five walks.
Soto has reached base safely in 24 of 27 games, batting .324 with seven homers and 23 RBIs. Verdugo is hitting .327 with six doubles, two homers and six RBIs over his past 17 games.
Milwaukee’s already-thin rotation took another substantial hit when it was announced Friday that left-hander Wade Miley would need Tommy John surgery and miss the rest of the season.
Starters Jakob Junis (shoulder) and DL Hall (knee) already were on the injured list.
–Field Level Media
