A day removed from being walked-off via a grand slam, the Milwaukee Brewers, once again, suffered a bitter defeat. This time, they lost to the San Francisco Giants after a controversial balk call gave the home squad the eventual winning run.
It was a low-scoring affair between the two teams as a battle of the starters commenced. Eric Lauer pitched seven innings of one-run ball for the Brewers. Alex Cobb, on the other hand, pitched 7 1/3 innings with an unearned run for the Giants.
The game was nip and tuck all the way to the eighth inning. In the bottom of the eighth and with the bases loaded, home plate umpire Pat Hoberg made a call that would ultimately decide the contest.
Hoberg called a balk at Milwaukee Brewers reliever Jandel Gustave while the pitcher was facing off against Mike Yastrzemski. The call allowed Wilmer Flores to easily score at home plate. It, also, gave the San Francisco Giants a 2-1 lead.
Willy Adames tried to salvage the game for the Milwaukee Brewers in the ninth with his single. But that was all the battery crew could muster as they fell to the San Francisco Giants.
Milwaukee Brewers fans have mixed opinions about the team's performance
The Brewers' back-to-back, heart-wrenching losses to the Giants initiated talks regarding their recent performances.
The team has won just three of their last 10 games. They still, however, have the lead in the National League Central, but the St. Louis Cardinals are hot on their heels. They are just one game behind.
The Brewers' pitching staff are in the top half of the league in terms of ERA. Their batting order, on the other hand, is 23rd in terms of batting average.
The batting lineup has come under fire and will certainly be criticized even further if they don't turn it around after the All-Star break.
The Brewers are the defending division champs. Considering how competitive the National League has been, they can't afford the luxury of aiming for a Wild Card spot.
The Brewers will face off against the San Francisco Giants tomorrow for the last game of their three-game series. This will give them a chance to, at least, try and even up the series and salvage a game before the All-Star Game.