Punchless Crew: Brewers slumping at worst possible time

ATLANTA (AP) — Christian Yelich lined a scorcher up the middle.

It sure looked like a hit.

But Dansby Swanson gobbled it up, sprinted to second base to get the force, then fired on to first to complete the double play.

Another chance squandered by the Milwaukee Brewers, who have picked the worst time of year to go ice cold at the plate.

Ian Anderson and four Atlanta relievers blanked the Brewers for the second straight game in the NL Division Series, pushing Milwaukee to the brink of elimination with a 3-0 victory Monday.

“We've got to catch a break,” manager Craig Counsell said, clearly exasperated at his team's offensive woes and 2-1 deficit.

How futile have the Brewers been with a bat in their hands?

Let us count the ways:

— They have scored just two runs in three games, their entire offensive production boiling down to one swing in Game 1. Rowdy Tellez hit a two-run homer off Charlie Morton to give the Brewers a 2-1 win.

They haven't scored since.

— Milwaukee has gone 19 straight innings without pushing a run across the plate. More problematic, they've failed to score in 25 of 26 innings during the first three games.

— The Brewers are 0 for 16 with runners in scoring position, including eight more fruitless at-bats in Game 3.

“It felt like we've had men on base almost every inning,” Omar Narváez said.

Milwaukee had plenty of chances to score Monday, most notably in the crucial fifth inning when the Brewers put runners at second and third with no outs.

After Lorenzo Cain grounded out to Swanson against a drawn-in infield, the runners forced to hold, Counsell had little choice except to send up a pinch-hitter for starting pitcher Freddy Peralta.

The move backfired on multiple levels.

Daniel Vogelbach failed to dive...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Punchless-Crew-Brewers-slumping-at-worst-16525582.php