Grandal homers twice, drives in 8, Dodgers batter Brewers
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Mike Fiers and the Milwaukee Brewers are losing a lot of games — and baseballs, too.
Yasmani Grandal homered twice and drove in eight runs as the Los Angeles Dodgers closed out their visit to Milwaukee by battering the Brewers 14-4 on Thursday.
Alex Guerrero connected off Fiers leading off the second inning. Grandal hit three-run shots in the eighth and ninth innings. The Brewers, with the worst record in the majors, have allowed a big league-high 42 home runs while going 9-20.
“We’ve got to figure it out,” Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell said. “It’s execution. That’s what we’ve got to get better at. It’s as simple as that.”
Fiers (1-4) was lifted in the sixth after walking Guerrero and giving up a triple to Andre Ethier. Fiers allowed five runs on five hits and five walks, and struck out eight.
“Walking five isn’t going to cut it against a good-hitting team like this,” Fiers said.
Three of the five batters walked by Fiers scored.
“Mike’s stuff is good. His strikeout totals tell you his stuff is good,” Counsell said. “It’s just the five walks.”
Milwaukee split the four-game series with the NL West leaders after Counsell replaced fired manager Ron Roenicke.
It was tied at 3 going into the sixth inning, and Grandal had zero RBIs in the game up to that point. Grandal’s two-run single capped a four-run sixth inning. He hit a three-run homer into the second deck in right field in the eighth and launched another three-run shot in the ninth.
Starting in a day game after A.J. Ellis caught the previous night, Grandal went 4 for 4 with two singles and two walks.
Grandal’s previous career high for RBIs was five, done last Sept. 25 when he homered twice against San Francisco. He had totaled two home runs and four RBIs this year before his big day at Miller Park.
The eight RBIs marked a career high for Grandal. He became just the fifth player in Dodgers history to collect eight or more RBIs in a game and the first since James Loney had nine RBIs against Colorado in September 2006.
Carlos Frias (3-0) won for the second time in as many starts. He gave up three runs and six hits in five innings, striking out six and walking one.
Adam Lind hit a solo home run and an RBI single for the Brewers. Adrian Gonzalez blooped a two-run single for the Dodgers.
OUT OF HERE
Grandal said players around the league view Miller Park as a home run haven. But even after his two homers on Thursday, Grandal isn’t enamored with hitting at the Brewers’ stadium. “For me, I’ve never really hit well here. I hit two home runs here today and I don’t really know how. I’ve never really driven the ball here. I’d much rather be playing somewhere else,” he said..
TRAINER’S ROOM
Dodgers: Los Angeles optioned P Joe Wieland to Triple-A Oklahoma City, one day after he was called up, and recalled OF Chris Heisey. Wieland started and took the loss in Wednesday night’s game, giving up six runs in 4 2-3 innings. ... OF Yasiel Puig, on the 15-day DL with a hamstring injury, was expected to be the DH for Single-A Rancho Cucamonga on Thursday. Manager Don Mattingly said Puig could possibly play in the outfield on his rehab assignment by Saturday.
Brewers: OF Carlos Gomez was out of the lineup. Milwaukee reinstated Gomez, who injured his right hamstring, from the 15-day DL Saturday. “He’s played five games since, and I think it’s important that we make sure that everything’s OK with him,” Counsell said. “He’s been going hard and he’s a little sore.”
UP NEXT
Dodgers: Matt Anderson (1-1, 4.21 ERA) will start a three-game series at Colorado. Anderson pitched for the Rockies last season, compiling a record of 1-3 with a 2.91 ERA before being shut down with a broken left index finger and lower back surgery.
Brewers: Jimmy Nelson (1-2, 4.03 ERA) will make his sixth start of the season as Milwaukee opens a three-game series against the visiting Chicago Cubs at home on Friday. Nelson pitched against the Cubs on Sunday, allowing three runs in 6 2-3 innings.