Covering the bases 8/31/2025: Blue Jays 8, Brewers 4
What was billed as a pitching duel turned into something much different. The Milwaukee Brewers dropped the finale of a three-game series between the best teams in each league, falling 8-4 to the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday at Rogers Centre. The MLB-leading Brewers (85-53) have a 6½-game lead in the NL Central over the Chicago Cubs, who lost 6-5 to the Colorado Rockies on a walk-off. The Brewers, who won the first two games vs. the Jays, have won series against all of the other five division leaders this season.
FIRST BASE: Contreras goes deep
William Contreras has heated up as the games have become more important for the Brewers. Contreras went deep once and just missed a second homer as part of a three-RBI day. Contreras hit a two-run homer off right-hander Max Scherzer in the first inning and got an RBI single that he lined off the right-field wall, coming up shy of going out.
SECOND BASE: 10 for Turang
August has been the best month in the young career of second baseman Brice Turang. And he finished it off with another big blast. Turang hit his 10th homer of the month, a solo shot off Scherzer in the third inning, to pull the Brewers with 4-3. That gave Turang 16 homers for the season. His previous best season was seven last year. He had 13 career homers entering the season. Entering the game, Turang ranked second in the NL in total bases with 70. His 10 homers this month rank only behind Kyle Schwarber of the Philadelphia Phillies.
THIRD BASE: Wobbly Woody
It is tough to keep a potent Blue Jays offense down for three straight games. So after Freddy Peralta and Quinn Priester kept the Jays' bats fairly quiet in their starts, Brandon Woodruff was hoping for a repeat performance. It didn't happen. Woodruff, also a victim of some shaky defense, was roughed up to the tune of 10 hits and eight runs, five of which were earned, in 4⅓ innings. He also walked two and struck out just three, the fewest strikeouts in his 10 starts this season.
HOME PLATE: Uncharacteristic sloppy play
The primary secret to the Brewers' success this season has been their fundamental play, which means not making mistakes and doing the right thing in situations. The opposite was on display for the Crew on Sunday. In the bottom of the first inning, miscommunication between second baseman Turang and shortstop Andruw Monasterio on covering second to receive a throw from first baseman Andrew Vaughn led to three unearned runs. In the top of the third, Jackson Chourio did not advance from second on a deep fly to left-center. Later in the third, William Contreras was thrown out trying to go from first to third to end the inning. In the top of the fourth, Monasterio was thrown out at home as part of a double steal with Turang as Chourio was hitting.
EXTRA BASES: It's Miz's turn
⚾ As the Brewers open a three-game series vs. the Phillies, it will be rookie right-hander Jacob Misiorowski (4-2, 4.33 ERA) going to the mound in the Labor Day matchup against Phillies right-hander Taijuan Walker (4-7, 3.63 ERA). Misioriowski got back on track in his last start, striking out 10 and allowing three runs over five innings and a career-high 93 pitches. He walked one and allowed four hits. Walker has lost two of his last three starts (the Phillies lost all three), including allowing four runs on 10 hits in a 6-0 loss to the New York Mets.
