20 for 20! Hader saves Crew's 7th straight W

MILWAUKEE -- The Brewers’ formula is simple.

Hand Josh Hader the baseball with a lead.

That’s what they did on Tuesday night at American Family Field, where Hader became a perfect 20-for-20 in save opportunities after closing out a 2-1 win over the Cubs. With a seventh consecutive victory, Milwaukee opened a five-game lead over second-place Chicago in the National League Central standings with a chance to sweep the three-game series on Wednesday afternoon. It marks the first time the Brewers have held a five-game lead in the division since July 15, 2017.

Milwaukee would love to once again hand the ball to Hader, one of two closers in the Majors with at least 10 opportunities and no blown saves this season. St. Louis' Alex Reyes is the other after converting his 19th save on Tuesday.

“He’s been doing it for four years now, and there’s no secret to what he’s doing,” said Brewers ace Brandon Woodruff, who delivered another pitching gem of his own for the game’s first six innings. “He’s obviously using a little bit more of his off-speed now, which is even more of a weapon. Now, he’s got the changeup and the slider. He’s got three weapons and those off-speed pitches make his heater jump even more.

“He’s special. There’s no secret about it. He’s unbelievable, so you feel good when he comes into the ninth.”

Woodruff lowered his ERA to 1.87 as he crossed the 100-inning threshold, Christian Yelich doubled home an early run and journeyman Jace Peterson continued making his presence felt by delivering a tiebreaking single in the fourth inning. Woodruff and relievers Brent Suter, Jake Cousins and Brad Boxberger combined to make that lead hold, with Woodruff delivering his 13th quality start and Cousins and Boxberger each stranding the tying runner in scoring position in the seventh and eighth.

Hader found himself in similar danger after Joc Pederson singled with one out and Willson Contreras walked. But Hader stopped things there. He struck out Javier Báez with a 97 mph fastball up and in, then induced a game-ending groundout from pinch-hitter Jose Lobaton to seal the Brewers’ 26th victory in their last 36 games.

“Like I say every year, when we go through stretches and we’re not playing good baseball, there’s always a time where something happens and it clicks and we start playing good baseball,” Woodruff said. “When we get everybody back healthy and are able to put all the facets of the game [together] and have everything clicking at the same time, we’re dangerous. We’re a good team.”

It all leads to Hader in the ninth. With two more strikeouts, opponents are 12-for-109 (.110) with 55 strikeouts against Hader this season, and his 0.55 ERA is best in baseball for a pitcher who’s logged at least 20 innings. He has been unscored upon in 31 of his 33 appearances this season including the last 17 in a row. And he’s the sixth Brewers closer to convert at least 20 straight save opportunities in a stretch; the last was Corey Knebel in 2017.

The game ended with a scare for both teams. Hader slipped on first base and had his knee buckle while fielding a feed from Peterson on Lobaton’s grounder to the right side. Hader dove back to first base to ensure he got the out, forcing Lobaton to tumble to the ground in an effort to avoid stepping on Hader. He went down hard on his right shoulder in the process. Umpires reviewed the play and ruled it a game-ending out.

“I hate what happened to Lobaton; I hate to see any player go down,” Peterson said. “The ball was in the hole and I caught it, and Josh got there real quick and I gave it to him. He just happened to miss the bag and was able to get back and tag it with his glove. It definitely got a little dicey there at the end. We were able to come through and Hader was able to make the play.”

“I mean, it was scary for Josh and scary for Lobaton, for sure, too. I hope he's all right,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “It was just weird timing. It looked like kind of a routine play and it ended up being a little odd. But I think Josh is OK.”

That was good news. The Brewers have a bullpen day on Wednesday starting with left-handed pitching prospect Aaron Ashby making his Major League debut. He’ll pitch a couple of innings, with Trevor Richards, Hunter Strickland, Brent Suter, Devin Williams and Hader among the more rested relievers with a chance to follow.

Hader threw 22 pitches but it was his first appearance in four days, so he figures to be available again if needed on Wednesday. The Brewers hope to hand him the ball with a chance to sweep.

“There’s a lot of good hitters in this league, so [it is impressive] to do what he does night in and night out, coming into situations where adrenaline is high and guys are looking to get him as much as he’s looking to get them,” Peterson said. “He continues to punch tickets and get outs. It’s pretty incredible to have him on our team.”