William Contreras hits 2-run double as Brewers beat Padres 5-4 for 7th straight win

By ANDREW WAGNER
Associated Press

MILWAUKEE (AP) — William Contreras hit a two-run double in Milwaukee’s five-run fifth inning, and the streaking Brewers beat the San Diego Padres 5-4 on Saturday night for their season-high seventh straight win.

Brewers right-hander Freddy Peralta (11-8) struck out nine in 5 1/3 innings. He allowed two runs and two hits while improving to 5-0 in five August starts.

Juan Soto and Xander Bogaerts homered for San Diego, which lost for the third time in four games. Pedro Avila (0-1) was charged with five runs and five hits in 4 1/3 innings.

Bogaerts hit a solo shot in the second for his 15th homer, giving the Padres a 1-0 lead. But the Brewers went ahead to stay in the fifth.

Mark Canha, Brice Turang and Andruw Monasterio opened the inning with three straight singles. Canha scored from second on Monasterio’s grounder into left field.

A double steal combined with an off-target throw by catcher Luis Campusano produced another run for Milwaukee. Following a Christian Yelich walk, Contreras slapped a 1-1 changeup down the left-field line to lift the Brewers to a 4-1 lead.

Carlos Santana added an insurance run with a double to right against Scott Barlow, who loaded the bases with a pair of walks before retiring Brice Turang to end the inning.

“It was a ‘move-the-line’ type of inning,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “Just a bunch of guys with a bunch of good at-bats and we got some momentum going. We got some runners on in an inning when (Avila) was tiring and we made it work.”

Peralta’s night came to an end after walking two of his first three batters to open the sixth. Manny Machado made it a 5-2 game with a single off Elvis Peguero.

“He pitched wonderfully,” Counsell said of Peralta, who set a career high with his 11th victory of the season.

After Fernando Tatis singled to lead off the eighth, Soto sent a Joel Payamps slider over the wall in left-center for his 25th homer.

Payamps got out of the inning without further damage, and Devin Williams struck out two in the ninth for his 31st save.

“Every loss feels worse,” Padres manager Bob Melvin said. “I mean, we know where we are, we know how many games are left, we know what’s in front of us. Every loss feels worse. Today, after being down like that, coming back, we had a pretty good feeling in our dugout. Two guys in the eighth and ninth pitched pretty well, we got the guy in the eighth, couldn’t get the guy in the ninth.”

STATUS QUO FOR COUNSELL

Brewers owner Mark Attanasio said he discussed a contract extension with Counsell this week, but the manager wanted to keep the focus on the field and discuss his future during the offseason instead.

Counsell, 52, took over for Ron Roenicke in May 2015 and is currently the National League’s longest-tenured manager. He has led the Brewers to a franchise-record 687 victories and four postseason appearances but is in the final weeks of a five-year contract extension he signed in January 2020.

“It’s up to Craig,” Attanasio said. “We’d love to have him here, obviously.”

SHEETS HONORED

The Brewers inducted Ben Sheets into the team’s Walk of Fame prior to the game.

Sheets was selected by Milwaukee with the No. 10 pick in the 1999 amateur draft. The right-hander played for the Brewers for eight years, going 86-83 with a 3.72 ERA and 1,206 strikeouts.

“It’s very emotional,” said Sheets, who threw out a ceremonial first pitch to his son, Seaver.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Padres: INF Jake Cronenworth was placed on the 10-day IL after fracturing his right wrist when he was hit by a pitch Friday night. The team said Cronenworth won’t need surgery but isn’t expected to return this season. SS Matthew Batten was recalled from Triple-A El Paso to take Cronenworth’s spot on the roster.

Brewers: OF Sal Frelick was back in the starting lineup after missing four games with a sore right hamstring. … RHP Julio Teherán (right hip) reported no issues after allowing a run in three innings in a rehab appearance Friday night with Class A Wisconsin. Teherán will continue his rehab next week with Triple-A Nashville.

UP NEXT

The teams wrap up their season series Sunday afternoon. RHP Adrian Houser (5-4, 4.28 ERA) gets the start for Milwaukee while the Padres send RHP Michael Wacha (10-2, 2.63 ERA) to the mound.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB