CHICAGO -- Avisaíl García shed more than 20 pounds last winter after a disappointing debut season with the Brewers but was confident he wouldn’t sacrifice power. It turns out he was right.
García became the first player to hit 20 home runs in a Brewers uniform this season when he sent a go-ahead two-run shot a Statcast-projected 457 feet to the left-field bleachers at Wrigley Field in Game 1 of a doubleheader on Tuesday, sending Freddy Peralta to a 4-2 win over the Cubs.
“I worked really hard in the offseason,” García said. “I lost a lot of weight. That’s the way you can survive in the big leagues. You keep working hard and try to do your best every single game. I feel proud.”
Does Peralta remember what he thought the first time he saw the trimmed-down García in Spring Training?
“We said, ‘Oh my God, let’s see if he still hits homers.’ And he’s doing it,” Peralta said. “For me, he’s looking better. He doesn’t get tired too quick, and it’s awesome. It’s great for him.”
The blast matched García’s career high for homers -- he hit 20 for the Rays in 2019 before signing a two-year deal with Milwaukee -- and capped a three-run fourth inning against Cubs pitching prospect Justin Steele that began with Willy Adames’ 21st homer this season and 16th in 68 games with the Brewers. And that, in turn, followed a tense bottom of the third in which Peralta reacted with visible frustration when he didn’t get a two-strike call against Cubs third baseman Patrick Wisdom with the bases loaded, then walked Wisdom on the next pitch to force in a run. As he left the batter’s box, Wisdom gave Peralta a long staredown.
The Brewers answered with a flurry of home runs, including Lorenzo Cain’s first since May 3 in the sixth inning.
“Look, the way the game is, it’s difficult to score now with getting [multiple] hits,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “Look at the year Freddy is having and how few hits he’s given up. We haven’t seen seasons like that from starting pitchers, and I think it’s a sign of how hard it is to hit. The one blow to score runs is always important. We took advantage of some wind blowing out today with a couple, and it’s a way to rally.”
Peralta did the rest. He pitched into the sixth and struck out eight on a sweltering afternoon for the Brewers’ 10th victory in their first 13 games against the Cubs this season, with lefty pitching prospect Aaron Ashby scheduled to start the nightcap.
The Cubs didn’t go quietly in the seventh and final inning against Devin Williams, the Brewers’ closer with Josh Hader on the COVID-19 injured list a few more days. Three singles loaded the bases with one out against Williams, who struck out Wisdom and Greg Deichmann to seal his second save.
For García, it was a redemptive day. His misplay of what should have been a game-ending fly ball on Saturday night against the Giants led to a Brewers loss in extra innings, and the team wound up losing Sunday, too. Two days later, García helped the Brewers find their way back to the win column.
“Of course, I felt bad for that,” García said. “We’re human. Anything can happen. Nobody wants to make errors. Nobody wants a loss. We’re here to win. You guys are seeing it. We have to move forward.”
Asked whether it felt good to be responsible for a win this time, García said, “Two million percent, man. We’ve just got to keep working.”
Supervising Club Reporter Adam McCalvy has covered the Brewers for MLB.com since 2001.