Brewers lose fifth straight, tied with Cards for Central lead

Aug 31, 2014; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants right fielder Hunter Pence (8) doubles to deep right driving in Giants center fielder Angel Pagan (not pictured) during the third inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob Stanton-USA TODAY Sports

The San Francisco Giants got a good starting effort from Madison Bumgarner and scored 15 runs behind ten extra-base hits as the home team squashed the Milwaukee Brewers 15-5 to complete a three-game sweep Sunday at AT&T Park.

The Brewers entered play today still holding a precarious one game lead over St. Louis in the N.L. Central, with Pittsburgh right behind, one game behind St. Louis and two back of Milwaukee.

Kyle Lohse (12-7, 3.42 ERA) began the contest for the Brewers, while Bumgarner (15-9, 3.02) started for the home team.

Struggling to reach base recently, leadoff batter Carlos Gomez popped up a bunt attempt that third baseman Pablo Sandoval couldn’t reach on a diving attempt, allowing Gomez to reach first base. Jonathan Lucroy hit a looping liner to center for a base hit that moved Gomez to third and put runners at the corners with nobody out.

The Brewers managed to get a run home when Ryan Braun grounded into a six-four-three twin killing. The inning ended with an Aramis Ramirez groundout.

Lohse retired the Giants in order in the bottom half of the first.

In the bottom of the second, Sandoval hit a ball to deep right that Braun misjudged and missed with a leaping attempt, allowing Sandoval to reach third with a galloping three-bagger. After two grounders for outs, back-up catcher Andrew Susac lined a double to the wall in left-center to score Sandoval to tie the game at one.

Gomez appeared to tweak his left wrist during his strikeout in the top of the third and was replaced defensively in the bottom half by Gerardo Parra.

With one out in the Giants half of the third, Angel Pagan lined one into left for a base hit. He then set sail for second, and when the throw from Martin Maldonado skipped into center field, Pagan took third on the throwing error.

Joe Panik reached on a four-pitch walk, and then Hunter Pence knocked in a run with a hard grounder into right center that moved Panik to third and saw Pence hustle for a two-bagger. Sandoval made it 3-1 with a looper to center that scored Panik.

Michael Morse increased the lead to 4-1 with a sacrifice fly to deep right to score Pence.

The Brewers threatened in the top of the fourth when Ramirez dropped a one-out double on the right field line but was stranded with a ground out and a nice sliding grab by Gregor Blanco in left field on a Weeks’ liner for the final out.

The Giants took advantage of their home-field weather when Pence popped a ball to short right that Weeks couldn’t grab due to the wind and the sun. Sandoval then smoked a one-hopper into McCovey Cove for a two-run blast (his 15th) to make it 6-1.

San Francisco tacked on another run in the bottom of the sixth.

Susac singled but was forced by Brandon Crawford. Bumgarner dropped down a sacrifice to move Crawford to second, and then he was knocked in by Pagan with a hard grounder that Lucroy could not handle.

Zach Duke came in for Lohse and retired Panik on a fly ball to end the inning. Lohse pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowed nine hits, seven earned runs, and struck out three and walked a pair.

Bumgarner left after six innings, allowing five hits, one earned run, while whiffing seven and walking one. George Kontos came on in relief.

The Brewers finally got something to cheer about when Maldonado hit one about 3/4 of the way up the left field stands to make it 7-2.

Kontos left in favor of lefthander Javier Lopez when Lyle Overbay was announced as a pinch-hitter, but Mark Reynolds batted against the southpaw instead and drew a two-out walk. Parra grounded out to end the frame.

Alfredo Figaro came in to face the Giants in the bottom of the seventh, only to see Pence rip a ball to right center that rolled to the wall as the right fielder strolled into third with a triple.

Sandoval walked to put runners on the corners and then each of them moved up on a wild pitch, with Pence scoring to make it 8-2.

Travis Ishikawa, who came in for Morse in the top of the sixth, lined a single to right to end Figaro’s day. Lefthander Will Smith came in for Roenicke.

Smith got the first out, but Susac continued his incredible hitting, ripping a double that one-hopped the fence in center to score a pair of runs. Susac got his third hit and third RBI in the game.

Joaquin Arias ripped a double to left to score Susac to make the score 11-2 in favor of the home team.

Panik knocked in a pair to make it 13-2 with a triple to the wall in right center. Brandon Kintzler came in to relieve Smith.

He was greeted rather rudely as Pence bounced a single past Weeks to knock in Panik before Sandoval flied out to mercifully end the inning.

Tim Lincecum came into the game in the top of the eighth, much to the delight of the home crowd.

Braun temporarily silenced the raucous San Francisco crowd with his 18th home run to left field to make it 14-3.

The Giants got right back at it in the bottom of the eighth. Ishikawa walked and moved to third with Blanco’s double, and then scored on a groundout by Crawford to make it 15-3.

The Brewers fought back in the ninth, a good sign that they were not laying down. Weeks led off with a double and Maldonado was hit by a pitch. Segura flied to deep center for the second out, but pinch-hitter Scooter Gennett lashed a single to center to score Weeks and move Maldonado to third.

Parra knocked in a run with a fielder’s choice to make it 15-5, but Lucroy grounded out to end the game.

Lohse dropped to 12-8 with the loss, while Bumgarner improved to 16-9.

The Brewers hope to turn things around with a three-game series at Wrigley Field against the Cubs. The Brewers enter September tied with St. Louis atop the N.L. Central as the Cards defeated Chicago 9-6 today.