Zach Davies
He took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, and even though his bid for history ended because of a home run, Brewers start Zach Davies definitely riding a big wave of momentum.
The diminutive righthander allowed two runs on two hits over his seven innings in a 5-4 Milwaukee win to open a brief two-game interleague series against Oakland at Miller Park. Davies also with five strikeouts.
Davies (4-3), who went 3-2 as a September call-up in 2015 and is pitching for a permanent place in the Brewers rotation, has won three straight starts. In his last six outings, Milwaukee (27-31) is 5-1.
Meanwhile, the offense came almost exclusively from the bat of first baseman Chris Carter, who slugged a two-run homer in the second inning and a three-run blast in the sixth to account for all five of Milwaukee’s runs. Carter leads the team with 16 homers and 39 runs batted in after the two monster shots beyond the centerfield wall.
Prior to Carter’s second home run, Ryan Braun became the fifth Brewers player to collect 1,500 hits with the organization. He joins Cecil Cooper, Jim Gantner, and Hall of Famers Paul Molitor and Robin Yount. Braun is hitting a team-best .335 this season.
Milwaukee has won nine of it’s past 14 games to climb within four games of being .500. They play for a series sweep Wednesday night at 7:10 p.m. Chase Anderson (3-6) throws opposite Jesse Hahn (2-3) in game two of a six-game homestand.
AUDIO: After early struggles, Zach Davies says he settled in and let the defense work :14
AUDIO: Zach Davies explains why he’s pitched so well over six starts :21
AUDIO: Ryan Braun reacts to 1,500 hits and the company he joins :18
AUDIO: Craig Counsell on Chris Carter’s power to all fields :21