William Contreras capped a four-run fifth inning with a three-run home run that propelled the visiting Milwaukee Brewers to a 4-2 interleague victory over the Houston Astros on Saturday.
Contreras, who entered Saturday ranked second in the National League in runs (39) and batting average (.353), extended his on-base streak to 25 games by prevailing in an epic confrontation with Astros veteran right-hander Justin Verlander (2-2).
Contreras fouled off seven consecutive pitches — including four successive four-seam fastballs — before launching the 13th pitch of his at-bat 428 feet. His seventh homer of the season plated Sal Frelick and Jackson Chourio with two outs and gave the Brewers a 4-1 lead.
Verlander retired the Brewers in order in the first, second and fourth innings and had 56 pitches on his ledger entering the fifth. But Milwaukee made him labor in that inning, starting with a leadoff single from Joey Ortiz before Frelick and Chourio worked back-to-back walks. Blake Perkins followed with a sacrifice fly to left that scored Ortiz and knotted the score at 1-1.
Contreras delivered the knockout blow two batters later. Verlander allowed four runs on four hits and two walks to go along with three strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings. He finished with 98 pitches, 42 in the fifth.
The Astros had their six-game winning streak come to an end due in part to their inability to solve Brewers starter Bryse Wilson and the handiwork of the four relievers that followed.
Wilson faced the minimum through two innings. After surrendering consecutive one-out singles to Jake Meyers and Mauricio Dubon in the third — with Meyers (3-for-4) scoring on the Dubon hit after advancing to second on a wild pitch — Wilson stranded runners at second and third and retired the Astros in order in the fourth.
But two batters after surrendering a solo home run to Meyers in the fifth, Wilson departed after Jose Altuve flipped a two-out single to left-center. Hoby Milner (2-0) entered the game and retired Tucker to close the fifth. Elvis Peguero, Bryan Hudson and Trevor Megill followed, keeping the Astros at bay over the final 4 1/3 innings.
Megill notched his sixth save by working around a single and striking out the side in the ninth.
–Field Level Media