MILWAUKEE — Joey Wiemer hit a game-winning single in the 10th inning to lift the Milwaukee Brewers to a 4-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night.
Wiemer’s hit came off Austin Voth (1-2). It scored pinch-runner Andruw Monasterio, who was the automatic runner.
“Joey’s a competitor, man,” Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell said. “It’s a really clean way he competes. He doesn’t get distracted by much.”
Baltimore dropped to 5 1/2 games behind AL East-leading Tampa Bay, which won its fourth straight game.
Milwaukee moved into first place in the NL Central, a half-game ahead of Pittsburgh, which lost after winning six straight.
With the game tied at 3 in the 10th inning, Baltimore had runners at first and second with two outs, but Peter Strzelecki (3-4) struck out pinch-hitter Josh Lester.
The teams’ stoppers, Baltimore’s Félix Bautista and Milwaukee’s Devin Williams, each pitched a perfect ninth inning.
Baltimore took a 3-2 lead in the seventh inning on Ryan O’Hearn’s solo home run off Joel Payamps.
Milwaukee tied the game in the eighth. Blake Perkins drew a walk from Yennier Cano, stole second base and scored on Brice Turang’s single.
Milwaukee stole four bases.
Milwaukee went 4-for-18 and Baltimore went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position.
The teams each used six pitchers. Each team recorded 16 strikeouts.
Each starting pitcher went five innings, threw nearly 100 pitches and gave up two runs.
Baltimore’s Kyle Gibson struggled in the first inning, throwing 35 pitches and surrendering two runs on RBI singles by Brian Anderson and Abraham Toro, but allowed only two more hits. He struck out seven batters and walked two.
The 6-foot-6 35-year-old, signed as a free agent after playing in Philadelphia in 2022, had won three straight, allowing four runs in 19 2/3 innings.
Milwaukee’s Willy Peralta gave up a two-run home run to Aaron Hicks that tied the game at 2 in the second inning. Peralta struck out nine batters and walked none.
Wiemer saved at least one run with two runners on base in the third inning. He ran down Hicks’ 104 mph line drive on the warning track in right-centerfield to end the inning.
"That was a double off the bat, I don’t think of any of us thought anybody had a chance to catch that,” Counsell said.
“You can’t keep your eyes on the ball the whole time in a situation like that," Wiemer said. "Just trusting where your eyes are telling you it’s going and just getting to a spot.”
Christian Yelich went 3-for-4 with two doubles, and scored a run. He stole two bases.
O’Hearn, Austin Hays and Adam Frazier each had two hits.
BROTHER VS BROTHER
Tuesday was the first meeting between Brewers 2B Luis Urías and Orioles 3B Ramón Urías. The brothers, Mexico natives, shared a birthday Saturday, but Luis Urías is 26 and Ramón Urías is 29. Luis appeared to misjudge a ground ball by Adley Rutschman that turned into a leadoff single, but ended the inning by leaping to snag a line drive by Hicks. Ramón Urías struck in each of his four at-bats.
BREWER BAT WOES
Milwaukee batters are among the lowest performers statistically in the NL. They are lowest in runs, OBP, OPS and slugging.
BREAKING OUT OF SLUMPS
Anderson was 2-for-20 before his first-inning single … Turang was 1-for-41 until hitting a triple in the fourth … Hicks’ homer, his second of the season, was first his since May 8.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Orioles: Reinstated LHP Danny Coulombe from the bereavement list. Optioned INF/OF Terrin Vavra to Triple-A Norfolk.
Brewers: LHP Eric Lauer (right shoulder impingement) began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Nashville.
UP NEXT
Baltimore RHP Dean Kremer (6-2, 44.3 ERA) faces Milwaukee RHP Corbin Burnes (4-4, 3.75 ERA) on Wednesday in the second of the three-game series.
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