 was hardly dazzling in his fourth start this season, but the veteran lefty did enough to again reward the Brewers' faith in bringing him back. Gonzalez finished last year with Milwaukee, going 3-0 in five starts down the stretch, and the Brewers made it to the NL Championship Series. But he was a free agent until he signed a minor league contract with the Yankees in March. After opting out of his deal with New York, he returned to a Milwaukee team in need of some rotation help.''Gio's been a stabilizer in the whole thing,'' Counsell said.Jesus Aguilar ripped a two-run single off Jake Arrieta (4-4) in the third to give the Brewers a 4-1 lead and they hung on to take two of the first three games of this four-game set between NL teams with playoff aspirations. Josh Hader tossed a scoreless ninth for his 11th save.''With Hader doing what he does late in the game, it was just a little too late for us to get it going,'' Arrieta said.The highlights for Milwaukee might get skimmed by fans nearly 900 miles away glued to Game 1 of the NBA's Eastern Conference final between the Bucks and Toronto Raptors.Bryce Harper lined a double to left field and made a sliding catch in right a day after he banged his left knee into the wall on a sliding catch. Harper, who signed a $330 million, 13-year contract with the Phillies as a free agent, has been slumping and struck out for the 57th time. His double snapped an 0-for-15 funk that earned him some mild boos from Phillies fans who have been wild for the All-Star since the day he signed.Philadelphia manager Gabe Kapler said he never considered giving Harper the day off.''I don't have a tangible reason why we shouldn't play him,'' Kapler said. ''We think he gives us our best chance to win tonight. We think he will be positively impacted by being in tonight's lineup. We'll consider it on a day-to-day basis. He and I will have those conversations.'' Harper's arrival was just the biggest one in an offseason full of All-Star acquisitions for the Phillies. Two others were also in the middle of the action Wednesday. Jean Segura hit a solo homer in the first inning, but outfielder Andrew McCutchen misplayed a deep drive on the warning track in the fifth and the ball glanced off his glove for an error.Arrieta was bailed out of that miscue by a sensational, barehand throw from third baseman Sean Rodriguez to nail Keston Hiura at first.''I just didn't necessarily do my job tonight,'' Arrieta said.TRAINER'S ROOMBrewers: C Manny Pina left in the third inning with right hamstring discomfort and will go on the disabled list. ... RHP Chase Anderson (finger laceration) will come off the injured list and start Saturday at Atlanta. His return pushes Freddy Peralta to the bullpen.Phillies: INF Scott Kingery (strained right hamstring) played seven innings during a rehab game Tuesday at Class A Lakewood. Kapler said it was ''probably a stretch'' for Kingery to return to the Phillies this weekend. ''He would be used and viewed in a similar fashion as he has been in the past with the Phillies, as an option to start at any position, third, short, second, center, left, right,'' Kapler said. ... RHP Victor Arano threw a 20-pitch bullpen Tuesday and needs a few more days before he returns from elbow inflammation. ''I think he feels good about his progress. No setbacks,'' Kapler said.DIEHARD FANBruce Willis was booed in his No. 19 Phillies jersey when ''The Sixth Sense '' actor one-hopped the first pitch .BIG BRAUNMilwaukee slugger Ryan Braun is batting .408 (60 for 147) with 27 extra-base hits, 44 RBIs and 38 runs in 37 career games at Citizens Bank Park.UP NEXTThe Phillies send RHP Zach Eflin (5-3, 2.47 ERA) to the mound against RHP Zach Davies (4-0, 1.54) to complete the four-game series Thursday.---More MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Brewers' bats set to take on Arrieta, Phillies Lorenzo Cain will attempt to stay hot at the plate, and the Milwaukee Brewers will look for their second straight win when they visit the Philadelphia Phillies in the third game of a four-game series on Wednesday.The Brewers received homers from Yasmani Grandal and Ryan Braun in a 6-1 victory on Tuesday.Cain had a career-high five hits on Monday in the series opener against the Phillies and added another one hit on Tuesday.He had been in a 4-for-31 slump before this series."I was raising my hands higher," Cain told reporters. "It worked (Monday), so we're going to stay with it. I just changed something with my swing, got with (hitting coach) Andy (Haines) and worked on some different stuff in the cage." The Brewers likely will place prized prospect Keston Hiura in the starting lineup again Wednesday after he made his debut Tuesday with a pair of hits.Hiura, selected ninth overall by Milwaukee in the 2017 draft, was recalled from Triple-A San Antonio after Travis Shaw was placed on the 10-day injured list due to a strained right wrist.The Brewers will hand the ball to Gio Gonzalez, who is 1-0 with a 1.69 ERA in three starts. Gonzalez holds a career 11-7 mark and 2.95 ERA in 26 starts against the Phillies.In Gonzalez's last start, he pitched into the sixth inning and allowed only two hits in a 7-0 win over the Chicago Cubs on Friday."Gonzalez is giving us a chance to win in every start," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "It feels like he's gotten better, really, as he's taken the ball every fifth day. He's been a big stabilizer." Jake Arrieta, who has a 4-3 record and 3.78 ERA, will start for the Phillies. In Arrieta's last start Friday at Kansas City, he was torched for three home runs in a 5-1 loss.Arrieta had given up just four homers all season before that start."Three mistakes got hit over the fence," Arrieta told reporters. "I just need to be better." Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said that he hasn't lost any faith in his right-hander, who is 8-6 with a 3.22 ERA in 17 career starts against the Brewers."Baseball is round ball, round bat," Kapler said. "Sometimes, you do everything in your power and the other guy just beats you." Phillies right fielder Bryce Harper made two outstanding plays Tuesday when he made sliding catches into the wall in foul ground. But he also struck out twice and now has a major-league-leading 56 strikeouts. Harper is hitting .219 and is currently in an 0-for-14 skid.Harper, who has 20 games with multiple strikeouts, continues to make solid defensive plays in this series, though.When asked if he needs a day off, Harper told reporters, "I'll see what I feel like tomorrow. I like to play. I like to be out there. ... I've just got to keep going, keep grinding." Harper was repeatedly asked about clearing his mind with a day off and he certainly didn't seem to be against the idea."I got to be better," Harper said. "Flat out, I got to be better. I have to keep going, keep playing the right way." --Field Level Media
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