Brewers 9, Yankees 2: Another late-game surge nets Milwaukee second straight victory

NEW YORK -- Not bad for a guy who wasn't even originally in the starting lineup.

Tyrone Taylor, playing in left field after Christian Yelich was scratched with a sore lower back, lined a leadoff home run to left field to spark a three-run, game-turning rally in the eighth inning as the Milwaukee Brewers went on to beat the New York Yankees, 9-2, at Yankee Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Four more runs crossed the plate in the ninth for the Brewers as they broke open a game originally delayed more than 2 ½ hours by storms.

"The swing by Tyrone, it just changes the game," manager Craig Counsell said. "It's big emotionally -- for both teams -- to lead off an inning like that.

"We did a great job from there just kind of making it work."

It was the 11th straight interleague victory for Milwaukee, which for the second straight day gained a full game in the National League Central Division standings after the Arizona Diamondbacks handed the Chicago Cubs their third straight loss at Wrigley Field.

Box score: Brewers 9, Yankees 2

The Brewers are now four games up as they go for the series sweep against New York on Sunday afternoon.

Brewers bullpen sets the stage

After starter Wade Miley was pulled one out shy of completing the fourth inning, a succession of relievers filled the breach for the Brewers.

Elvis Peguero, Bryse Wilson and Joel Payamps (5-4) combined to limit the Yankees to a lone hit -- an Aaron Judge single off Payamps in the seventh -- heading into the eighth inning.

That set the stage for the game-turning swing by Taylor, which came on Jonathan Loáisiga's second pitch -- a 97.4-mph sinker that Taylor turned on and deposited a couple rows back into the seats in left.

"I was just trying to be on-time for a heater there," said Taylor. "He missed with the first one and I was hoping that he would overcorrect and leave one over the middle. But it ended up being a pretty solid pitch in.

"I knew I hit it in a good area of the field so, yeah (I knew it was going out)."

The homer was Taylor's sixth of the season and first since Aug. 23, and it also kickstarted what would turn out to be a three-run rally.

Taylor didn't learn he was going to be in the lineup until about 30 minutes before the scheduled first pitch. Yelich's back, meanwhile, was termed "nothing serious" by Counsell.

Sal Frelick followed by legging out an infield single, William Contreras lined a single to right, then Carlos Santana and Mark Canha each blooped singles into the short outfield.

Canha's single scored Frelick, then after Willy Adames hit into a forceout at home, pinch-hitter Victor Caratini lifted a sacrifice fly to right on which Contreras tagged and scored to make it 5-2.

Trevor Megill retired the side in order in the eighth -- on five pitches, no less -- then the Brewers put the game out of reach in the ninth by scoring four more times against a pair of relievers on four walks, two singles and a hit by pitch.

The finish was similar to Friday's 8-2 victory for Milwaukee.

"It resembled a lot of these innings that we've had," Counsell said. "Nothing crazy, but getting the job done and keeping it moving."

Hoby Milner, the sixth pitcher to see action, finished the game.

"I thought that was the story of the game," Counsell said of the bullpen. "Elvis got a huge out to get out of the fourth inning, and then we were just so efficient. It was just guys doing a a great job and then the tack-on runs late helped alleviate some pressure.

"It's 5 ⅓ scoreless from your bullpen. That's a big day."

Brewers trending: Willy Adames' reaction to meeting his idol Derek Jeter is so pure and priceless

Poor defense from Brewers and Yankees costs both teams

After Canha singled with one out in the fourth, Adames sent a drive to right field that caromed off the wall and allowed Canha to score.

Adames hustled to third and as he slid in a wild relay throw made by D.J. LeMahieu was way wide of Oswald Peraza. That left Adames with a triple and an easy run scored on the error as Milwaukee took the 2-0 lead.

But it wouldn't last long.

The trouble began with a one-out walk by Miley, and Giancarlo Stanton followed with a chopper to the left side that Andruw Monasterio charged but couldn't get a glove on. He was charged with an error on the play.

With runners on the corners, Anthony Volpe singled to center -- the Yankees' first hit -- to make it 2-1.

Miley got to within an out of escaping only to walk No. 8 hitter Everson Pereira to load the bases. Oswald Peraza followed with a routine grounder to shortstop, which most certainly should have ended the inning.

But Adames, already with one throwing error in the third, inexplicably chose to make a soft, late toss to a covering Brice Turang at second base with the runner bearing down.

It was late, the runner was safe and Stanton scored to tie the game on a ball that had an expected batting average of .070 when it left the bat.

"It was really wet. But no excuses," Adames said. "It's for both sides. I blame myself for the errors -- mentally and physically. It was just errors."

Miley was then lifted in favor of Peguero, who retired LeMahieu to keep it a 2-2 game.

Miley threw 84 pitches, and his 3 ⅔-inning stint was the left-hander's shortest of the season not caused by an injury.

"I wasn't quite as sharp (from the delay), maybe. I don't know," Miley said. "I still felt fine going in for Round 2; just didn't execute pitches. Wasn't as crisp as I would like to be. Going in I had a pretty good idea it was going to be a shorter leash, but I didn't realize I was at (84) pitches.

"But it was just one of those things. The bullpen came in and did an outstanding job, and we won another game."

Brewers vs. Yankees game had a 2 ½-hour weather delay

Literally 2 minutes before first pitch, the skies opened up over The Bronx.

But unlike Friday's game, which was delayed by only 15 minutes, a severe thunderstorm that even included hail planted itself over Yankee Stadium -- a development that caused flooding in the lower levels and sent fans scurrying for cover.

By the time New York right-hander Michael King threw his first pitch, 2½ hours had elapsed.

"Just, the way the schedule works, we need to play these games," Counsell said. "We knew it was going to be a long day if it had to be. It obviously rained incredibly hard for a while and it cost us 2 1/2 hours.

"The field was wet, for sure. But it was in pretty good shape."

It wasn't until the third inning that either team had collected a hit, with Frelick singling to snap the streak.

Brewers schedule coming up

Sunday -- Brewers at Yankees, 12:35 p.m. Milwaukee RHP Corbin Burnes (9-8, 3.63) vs. New York RHP Gerrit Cole (13-4, 2.90). TV: Bally Sports Wisconsin. Radio: AM-620.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brewers 9, Yankees 2: Another late-game surge keys Milwaukee