Rookie Jackson Chourio hits 2 home runs, Brewers win 16-7 and sweep the Braves off the field

ATLANTA (AP) — Milwaukee rookie Jackson Chourio hit a pair of two-run home runs, part of a six-home-run, 20-hit streak by the Brewers that swept the Atlanta Braves 16-7 on Thursday.

This was just the Braves’ fourth sweep of the NL Central-leading Brewers and the second in Atlanta. The other was in 2016. The Braves, who allowed 36 hits in the last two games and were outscored 34-12 in that series, have now lost five games in a row.

“Coming here to their stadium, where we haven’t had much success lately, and playing well all three days regardless of the outcome,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said of the importance of this sweep going forward. “We defended well, but we kind of went unnoticed. On offense, we fought and picked, drove up the pitch numbers and put balls in play.”

In addition to Chourio, who hit 3-for-5 with four RBIs, the Brewers got home runs from William Contreras, Garrett Mitchell, Willy Adames and Jake Bauers.

Chourio was born at the age of 20 years and 150 days. youngest player in Brewers history with a game with multiple home runs. Billy Jo Robidoux set the previous record at 21 years, 266 days in 1985. Chourio is also the youngest baseball player to hit such a game since Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in 2019.

“We’re in an incredible moment right now,” Chourio said through an interpreter. “We’re just communicating really well and getting really good results. We have a lot of energy in this dugout.”

Also for the Brewers, Contreras was 3-for-5 with three RBIs, Sal Frelick was 4-for-5 with two RBIs, and Mitchell was 2-for-4 with one RBI and three runs.

Atlanta’s Austin Riley went 2-for-5 with a three-run homer, and Marcell Ozuna was 2-for-4 with two RBIs, including a 440-foot solo homer to left field.

This was the seventh major league game this season in which both teams combined to hit at least eight home runs.

Right-hander Frankie Montas pitched the first four innings for the Brewers. He got into trouble in the third inning when Riley hit a home run, but otherwise he was nearly unhittable. His first five outs came by strikeouts, and he finished the game with seven Ks while allowing just two hits.

Right-hander Elvis Peguero (7-3) relieved Montas and earned the win by pitching a hitless fifth inning with a strikeout and a walk.

It was quite a contrast for Braves right-hander Charlie Morton, who allowed six runs in the first two innings despite having just two outs. Morton (6-7) left the field after 2 2/3 innings, allowing nine hits and eight runs – all earned. He also allowed a career-low four home runs.

“I look back and see the way the ball spins and the way it moves, it’s no better or worse than usual,” Morton said. “I just think they’re a really good team and I think the chances weren’t great for me today at all. … You have to give them the right pitch in the right situation because they’re very patient. There wasn’t a lot of chasing.”

Infielder Luke Williams pitched the final two innings for the Braves, allowing four hits and two runs.

The Brewers took an 8-0 lead into the bottom of the third inning before Riley answered with his line-drive home run to left field. Milwaukee virtually ended any doubts with five runs in the top of the fifth inning, with Chourio and Bauers each hitting two-run homers, to extend the lead to 13-3.

TRAINING ROOM

Braves: OF Edwin Rosario, of the 2021 NL Championship Series, was designated for assignment. He has struggled since this postseason, and this season Rosario had a .175 batting average between the Braves and Washington Nationals. The Braves also called up RHP Parker Dunshee and OF Eli White and sent LHP Dylan Dodd to Triple-A Gwinnett. Dunshee made his major league debut in the third inning.

Next

Brewers RHP Aaron Civale (2-8, 5.14) will start the opener of a three-game home series against Cincinnati on Friday, the start of a 10-game home series of the season. The Braves open a three-game series at Colorado on Friday, but a starter has not been announced.

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