Christian Yelich slugs go-ahead 2-run triple in 8th, helps Brewers beat Marlins 7-5

MIAMI (AP) — Christian Yelich hit a go-ahead two-run triple in the eighth inning and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Miami Marlins 7-5 on Tuesday night.

William Contreras had two hits and three RBIs, and Willy Adames doubled twice for the NL Central-leading Brewers (28-20).

Trailing 5-4, Jake Bauers doubled against Marlins reliever A.J. Puk (0-5) to lead off the eighth and Contreras drew a two-out walk. Yelich then cleared the bases with a drive to deep right-center that put the Brewers ahead 6-5. Adames’ RBI double scored Yelich and chased Puk.

“I kinda knew that I was probably going to be the one to end up facing him, when William was up there,” Yelich said. “I figure they’d probably pitch around him – I don’t know if they were or not. Just feeling the at-bat out and making some adjustments throughout it. I’m glad that one got to the wall.”

The two extra base hits by Adames snapped a 1-for-17 skid.

“I’ve been great mentally because I’ve been hitting the ball hard. They haven’t been dropping,” Adames said. “At some point, they’re going to start dropping. I just try to stay strong mentally and keep hitting the ball hard as much as I can.”

Tobias Myers (1-2) pitched a scoreless seventh for his first major league win and Joel Payamps followed with a perfect eighth. A night after squandering a one-run lead in the ninth, Trevor Megill struck out the side to earn his seventh save.

“Grateful for the type of guys we have,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “They do stay relentless. Pay the price for whatever it takes to win that day.”

Dane Myers’ sacrifice fly capped a three-run sixth inning off Brewers starter Robert Gasser and gave Miami a 5-4 lead. Jazz Chisholm Jr. scored from second on Otto Lopez’s sacrifice bunt to make it 4,-3 and Christian Bethancourt hit a game-tying single ahead of Myers.

“I’m proud of the fight,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “That group fought back. Some pretty electric plays. Some good baseball plays. Jazz – I’m not sure how many people can run the bases like that. The instincts are real. Not too many people can do what he did.”

Making his third major league start, Gasser allowed five runs, four earned, and 10 hits.

Milwaukee struck quickly against Miami starter Trevor Rogers with single runs in the first and second. Contreras’ RBI double put the Brewers on the board and Blake Perkins’ run-scoring single made it 2-0.

The Marlins narrowed the gap on López’s RBI single in the second before Contreras’ two-run single in the fourth extended the lead for Milwaukee.

Rogers’ outing ended after 3 2/3 innings. The left-hander allowed four runs and six hits, walked four and struck out four.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Brewers: Placed RHP Joe Ross (low back strain) on the 15-day injured list and recalled Myers from Triple-A Nashville. Ross started the series opener Monday and exited after the first inning.

Marlins: Reinstated INF Tim Anderson (lower back tightness) from the injured list and optioned INF Tristan Gray to Triple-A Jacksonville. Anderson went 2 for 4 and scored a run in his return.

UP NEXT

RHP Freddy Peralta (3-2, 4.17 ERA) will start the series finale for the Brewers on Wednesday. LHP Jesús Luzardo (1-3, 5.02 ERA) will go for the Marlins.

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

Milwaukee Brewers' Christian Yelich (22) reacts after he was tagged out at the plate during the third inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Milwaukee Brewers' Willy Adames hits a double during the third inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Miami Marlins' Jazz Chisholm Jr., right, scores on a RBI single hit by Otto Lopez during the second inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in Miami. At left is Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Robert Gasser (54) throws during the third inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Milwaukee Brewers' Christian Yelich (22) is tagged out at the plate by Miami Marlins catcher Christian Bethancourt (25) during the third inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Milwaukee Brewers' Blake Perkins (16) is high-fived in the dugout after scoring on a single hit by William Contreras during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

CHICAGO (AP) — Clarke Schmidt and Nestor Cortes combined on a four-hitter, and the New York Yankees clinched their 32nd straight winning season by blanking the Chicago Cubs 2-0 on Saturday.

Schmidt pitched 4 2/3 innings of four-hit ball in his first big league game since May 26. Cortes (9-10) closed it out in his first relief appearance since 2021.

Coupled with Baltimore's 7-1 loss to Tampa Bay, New York moved back into first in the AL East. The Yankees (82-60) lead the Orioles by a half-game.

Cortes admitted he was upset when he learned he was going to pitch in relief.

“I’m never going to back down from a challenge,” Cortes said. “I’m never going to leave my teammates out to dry. You’re always going to get my best effort no matter if I’m happy or not. That’s what I did today. I came out there and proved I can be put in any situation. From here on out, if that’s my role, I’ll accept it.”

Schmidt had been sidelined by a right lat strain. He threw 75 pitches, 44 for strikes.

"I felt like I still had a lot of strength and I wasn’t fatiguing at all,” Schmidt said.

New York posted its second straight shutout to secure its first series win since it took two of three against Colorado from Aug. 23-25. The 32 straight seasons with a winning record is the second-longest such period in major league history, trailing a run of 39 consecutive seasons for the Yankees from 1926-64.

Chicago (72-70) has lost four of five on a crucial homestand as it tries to rally in the race for the third NL wild card. It beat Pittsburgh 12-0 on Wednesday, but it has managed a total of three other runs in its last five games, getting shut out three times.

“We feel like we have a good enough ballclub to be in the playoffs and in the picture, but we’re going to have to play a little bit better and keep pushing here,” left fielder Ian Happ said.

Cubs right-hander Javier Assad (7-5) allowed one earned run and three hits in 5 2/3 innings.

New York scored its first run when Austin Wells drove in Gleyber Torres with a groundout in the first. The Yankees made it 2-0 in the sixth when Aaron Judge swiped third as part of a double steal and scampered home on catcher Christian Bethancourt’s throwing error.

Judge, who leads the majors with 51 homers, went 0 for 3 with a walk. He hasn’t homered in 11 games in his longest streak of the season.

The Cubs had their best scoring opportunity in the fifth. Pete Crow-Armstrong singled with one out, but was caught stealing. Patrick Wisdom then tripled to right, but he was stranded when Cortes got Bethancourt to foul out.

“He handled it really well, came into a high-leverage situation with a runner on third and got the job done,” Wells said of Cortes. “From there, cruised.”

Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo heard more cheers in his second game back at Wrigley Field since he was traded by Chicago to New York in July 2021. He tipped his cap before his first at-bat and reached second on Crow-Armstrong’s dropped catch in center.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Yankees: Schmidt and RHP Ian Hamilton (right lat strain) were reinstated from the 60-day injured list before the game. RHPs Phil Bickford and Nick Burdi were designated for assignment.

Cubs: LHP Justin Steele (left elbow tendinitis) was scheduled to play catch Saturday. He went on the 15-day IL on Wednesday. ... RHP Hayden Wesneski (right forearm strain) threw an inning at Triple-A Iowa.

UP NEXT

RHP Gerrit Cole (6-3, 3.65 ERA) is slated to start for New York on Sunday on his 34th birthday. RHP Jameson Taillon (9-8, 3.66 ERA) takes the mound for Chicago in the finale of the weekend set. Taillon went 22-11 with a 4.08 ERA with the Yankees in 2021 and 2022.

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

New York Yankees starting pitcher Clarke Schmidt reacts in the dugout after being pulled during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Chicago, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)

New York Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton, right, celebrates with teammate Gleyber Torres (25) after Torres scored on an Austin Wells ground out during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Chicago, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)

Chicago Cubs starter Javier Assad delivers a pitch during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees in Chicago, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge celebrates with teammates in the dugout after scoring on a throwing error by the catcher during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Chicago, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)

New York Yankees starter Clarke Schmidt delivers a pitch during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Chicago, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)