MLB Rankings: Greatest Hits in Week-19
4. Eric Thames, 46 percent
The Milwaukee Brewers’ ongoing effort to catch the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central has been slowed by injuries to the team’s rotation, and lately by the sidelining of reigning MVP Christian Yelich, also with an injury.
But the Brewers still have plenty of offensive firepower, including first baseman Eric Thames.
Friday night as they hosted the Texas Rangers in the opener of a three-game series, it did not look like the Brewers would need to count on the long ball. They used two walks, two doubles and a single to post three runs and seize a 5-2 lead.
Then after Logan Forsythe’s two-run eighth-inning home run brought the Rangers within a run, Brewers manager Craig Counsell turned the game over to ace reliever Josh Hader in the belief that Hader would lock down the final five outs. It didn’t happen; in the ninth, Elvis Andrus homered to tie the game
Rangers manager Chris Woodward relied on young reliever Emmanuel Clase, who had retired the Brewers in order in the eighth, to handle the ninth as well. Clase set down the first two batters, Keston Hiura, and Mike Moustakas, on a strikeout and an easy infield grounder. But he fell behind Thames 3-1 and had to come in with a hittable fastball. Thames hit it all right, into the seats in right field for a walk-off.