Seventh-inning rally, Eric Lauer help Brewers lock down three-game sweep in Seattle

SEATTLE – What a road trip for the Milwaukee Brewers.

Shrugging off two losses in their first three games in Arizona, not to mention injuries to key contributors Corbin Burnes and Garrett Mitchell, they rallied late to sweep away the Seattle Mariners, 5-3, and close a daunting three-city, 10-game excursion with a flourish Wednesday afternoon at T-Mobile Park.

The Brewers won six of their final seven games out West – three in San Diego and then the three in Seattle – to record just their sixth 10-game road trip in franchise history with seven victories and their first since Aug. 10-19, 2021 (8-2).

Box score: Brewers 5, Mariners 3

"It's a good trip," said manager Craig Counsell, whose team improved to 14-5, has won five of six series and has not yet lost consecutive games.

"We played three good baseball teams and we played well. To go 7-3 on a road trip like that, it's good baseball and I don't know if you could pick one guy on the trip. That's what makes it such a great trip – it's a trip where the whole roster did something.

"That's when you have great stretches of baseball."

The Brewers scored all their runs in the seventh inning

The offense flipped the game with a six-single seventh inning in sharing the spotlight with starter Eric Lauer, who aside from one third-inning mistake was terrific over his 7⅔ innings.

After being thoroughly dominated by left-hander Marco Gonzales over the first six innings, the Brewers chased him quickly when William Contreras and Jesse Winker singled to open the seventh.

Fireballing right-hander Matt Brash entered and Milwaukee kept hitting as Brian Anderson blooped a single to center to load the bases and Luke Voit lined a single to right to score Contreras and cut Seattle's lead to 2-1.

Owen Miller flied out and Christian Yelich came off the bench to strike out, leaving it all up to rookie Brice Turang.

He fell behind in the count, 0-1, then lined a two-run single to left to give the Brewers their first lead. Rowdy Tellez came off the bench and followed suit, squaring up a two-run single to center to increase the cushion to 5-2.

"Brice's hit was huge," Counsell said. "Brash is a tough, tough reliever and he smoked a ball. Then, good baserunning to get to second base on the throw to third. Good stuff, for sure."

Added Turang: "We were only down two runs, we knew it was there. This wasn’t just a one-man show. We all came in together and we all played and competed every pitch, and we came out with the win. That’s what we need to continue to do.”

Eric Lauer's cutter is his most effective pitch

Lauer departed in the eighth in favor of Peter Strzelecki, who struck out the dangerous Julio Rodríguez on four pitches to finish the inning. He allowed four hits, two runs and a walk with four strikeouts over 93 pitches in improving to 3-1.

The 7⅔ innings represented a Brewers high for him.

"I think the cutter's come alive, for sure," Counsell said of Lauer, who threw 23. "Today, every pitch was competitive and I thought it was even better than it was in San Diego (six innings and a win). Just, around the strike zone and his misses were in the right spots.

"It was a job well done."

Lauer topped out at just 91.2 mph with his four-seamer and generated only eight swings and misses – both figures below his normal ranges. Yet as Counsell mentioned, he still found a way to compete and succeed.

"Right now, (the cutter) is the pitch is that I'm comfortable getting back into counts with," Lauer said. "I feel really good about how I'm locating it. I feel like it plays with my fastball really well. Being able to command it is the biggest part for me.

"I'm probably a little more adapting to what's going on. We're still pushing to get the velo and everything, but my focus is more on being able to be a complete pitcher. Whatever velocity that's going to be, the goal is to have 4-5 pitches every day that I can command."

With Devin Williams unavailable, Matt Bush picked up the save

Strzelecki remained in for the ninth and things got interesting quickly as Owen Miller misplayed a ball in right for a double, Strzelecki hit a batter and then the Mariners singled to load the bases.

Cal Raleigh came off the bench and struck out but Waukesha native Jarred Kelenic singled to make it 5-3. With closer Devin Williams unavailable, Matt Bush took over and induced a pair of popouts to seal the victory and earn the save.

"It was just a combination of tough day on Sunday, warm up the next day, (Tuesday)," Counsell said of staying away from Williams. "He was kind of lobbying to pitch and I just thought it was a 'no' today.

"We've got some tired relievers right now. Matt Bush picked 'Strz' up big-time. Strz has picked up a bunch of guys already and Matt Bush picked up Strz today."

The Brewers locked down their first three-game sweep in Seattle since Sept. 8-10, 1989, at the Kingdome. Milwaukee has played 16 series in Seattle since then.

Eric Lauer, Marco Gonzales were both terrific early

It was a dead heat early in a battle of southpaws with Lauer and Gonzales. But the scales tipped quickly.

Gonzales was masterful, using a fastball that didn't break 88.5 mph, a curveball and a changeup to carve up the Brewers' right-handed-heavy lineup.

His stuff was so good, in fact, Milwaukee managed only three baserunners and two hits against him with rookie Joey Wiemer singling in the third and doubling in the sixth.

Wiemer was the only runner to move into scoring position but that opportunity quickly fizzled out when Turang popped out on a bunt attempt and Gonzales struck out Mike Brosseau and Willy Adames to leave him with a career-high-tying nine strikeouts and 17 swings and misses on the day.

"His changeup just had us front to back, and he was locating it down and away very, very well, or kind of 'front-dooring' stuff," Counsell said of Gonzales. "When he has that going, that's the A version of him and it's challenging.

"He did a nice job. We got a couple hits to start the seventh and turned it into a big inning."

Lauer's stuff wasn't as dominant but he too kept the Mariners in check aside from one big mistake in the third.

After surrendering a double to Jose Caballero – the rookie's first hit in the majors – Rodríguez lined a 110.7 mph homer out to left to give Seattle a 2-0 lead.

"It's fun," Lauer said of the early pitcher's duel. "It keeps you locked in. It's kind of like the internal struggle, the competition we have with each other – you do that against the other guy, too. It's not so much camaraderie, but you go out there and try to have a quicker inning than he did. You try to give each other as little rest as you can.

"It becomes a little cat-and-mouse game in that sense, and I enjoy it."

More: The Brewers will open their gates a half-hour earlier for Saturday home games

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brewers sweep Mariners behind Eric Lauer, seventh-inning rally