Brandon Woodruff tossed seven strong innings and helped his cause with a run-scoring single as the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 3-2 in the rubber match of a three-game series on Wednesday in Phoenix.
Woodruff (6-3) allowed one run on three hits with two walks and nine strikeouts for the Brewers, who won for the fourth time in their last five games.
Devin Williams allowed a solo homer in the eighth inning before Josh Hader retired the D-backs in order in the ninth for his 19th save in as many opportunities.
Christian Walker and Eduardo Escobar each homered for Arizona, which was held to five hits and lost for the 33rd time in its last 36 games.
Milwaukee broke a scoreless deadlock in the fifth when Woodruff’s single off Caleb Smith (2-3) scored Jace Peterson, who doubled to begin the inning.
Smith gave up one run on four hits over six innings. He issued four walks and struck out six.
The Brewers added two runs in the seventh. Noe Ramirez allowed consecutive singles to begin the inning before Avisail Garcia followed with a run-scoring single.
After Willy Adames flied out to right, Ramirez was replaced by Joe Mantiply. Jackie Bradley Jr. promptly hit a sacrifice fly to center field, allowing Tyrone Taylor to score from third.
Arizona, which ended its franchise-record, 17-game losing streak with a 5-1 victory in Monday’s series opener, recorded a total of seven hits in the last two games.
Walker snapped Arizona’s 19-inning scoreless streak in the seventh with a one-out homer off Woodruff.
Williams surrendered his first homer since April 24 in the eighth, when Escobar led off the inning with a pinch-hit, 441-foot blast to right field.
Arizona played without center fielder Ketel Marte, who is listed as day-to-day with left hamstring tightness.
Taylor and Peterson had two hits apiece for Milwaukee, which defeated the D-backs for the sixth time in seven meetings this season.
The Brewers recalled Keston Hiura from Triple-A Nashville to replace Daniel Vogelbach, who was placed on the injured list with a left hamstring strain. Hiura went 0-for-2 with a walk in his return.
–Field Level Media