Brewers shut out Mets, clinch final series of regular season
Willy Adames congratulated after scoring in the fourth inning against the New York Mets on Sept. 28. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE - Joey Ortiz drove in three runs for Milwaukee and the New York Mets mustered just two hits as their playoff hopes sustained another blow with a 6-0 loss to the Brewers on Saturday night.
New York (87-72) lost their third straight and fell one game behind Atlanta (88-71) in the NL wild card race when the Braves beat Kansas City 2-1 on a ninth-inning, walk-off homer from former Met Travis d'Arnaud.
RELATED: Check out the new and improved FOX Sports app
The Mets are competing for the NL's final two wild-card spots with the Braves and Arizona (88-72), which was hosting San Diego.
Both the Mets and Braves have head-to-head tiebreaker advantages over the Diamondbacks. The Mets and Braves would play a Monday doubleheader in Atlanta if their postseason fates haven’t been settled.
Featured
Brewers Fan Appreciation Night celebrates the crew behind the Crew
The Milwaukee Brewers raised a glass to their loyal fans on Fan Appreciation Night as they wind down the regular season and push toward the postseason.
Ortiz put the Brewers ahead 2-0 in the fourth by looping a full-count curveball from Jose Quintana (10-10) into left-center with a bases-loaded single.
Milwaukee broke open the game in the eighth inning by scoring four runs off Reed Garrett, the first runs he allowed since Aug. 18. The outburst included an RBI single by Willy Adames, a bases-loaded walk by Ortiz and a two-run single by Andruw Monasterio.
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
Quintana and four relievers combined to strike out 18 – the Mets' highest total this season. But New York was shut out for the first time since Aug. 23 and was held to two hits or fewer for just the fifth time this year.
Jose Iglesias singled in the first inning and Starling Marte hit a ground-rule double in the fifth. The only other time the Mets put a runner on base was when Iglesias drew a one-out walk in the ninth.
Quintana (10-10) entered with 22 2/3 consecutive shutout innings. He struck out nine while allowing two runs, five hits and two walks in 4 1/3 innings.
Featured
American Family Field escalator malfunction reports released
The Wisconsin DSPS issued a "department order" following the investigation into a June escalator malfunction at American Family Field.
After Milwaukee’s Jared Koenig pitched a scoreless first inning as the opener, Tobias Myers (9-6) took over and struck out five while allowing one hit and no walks in four innings.
Joel Payamps, Aaron Ashby, Nick Mears and Devin Williams each pitched one inning of hitless relief.
After the Brewers pulled ahead in the fourth, Marte led off the fifth with a double and advanced to third when Luis Torrens grounded out. Marte got stranded at third after Myers retired Harrison Bader on a liner to third and Luisangel Acuña on a fly to right.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX6 News app for iOS or Android.
Trainer's room
Brewers: Although an MRI revealed no structural damage, OF Sal Frelick bruised his hip when he crashed into the right-field wall attempting to make a diving catch of a foul ball Friday. The NL Central champion Brewers expect to start the playoffs without Frelick but haven't ruled out a possible return at some point in the postseason.