Brewers clinch playoff berth, close in on NL Central title after routing Marlins

MIAMI – After a one-season hiatus, the Milwaukee Brewers are back in the playoffs.

And in emphatic fashion, at that.

The Brewers scored 12 times in the second inning against a pair of pitchers, riding the momentum of the second-largest output in a single frame in franchise history to an eventual 16-1 victory over the Miami Marlins at loanDepot park on Friday night.

Christian Yelich, having missed 12 of the previous 13 games due to low-back soreness, returned with a vengeance against his former club by homering twice, collecting three hits, reaching base four times and scoring four runs.

Josh Donaldson also homered and drove in three, and every Brewers starter collected at least a hit and a run as Milwaukee's magic number to clinch the National League's Central Division title dropped to one.

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With the Chicago Cubs hosting the Colorado Rockies at 2:20 p.m. ET on Saturday, the Brewers should have a pretty good idea by the time they take the field to face the Marlins at 4:10 as to whether they've already locked up the title.

The second inning was (almost) one for the record book

While they didn't score, the Brewers set the tone with a pair of first-inning walks – both of which came against opener JT Chargois.

Steven Okert then opened the second by walking Willy Adames, and not long thereafter the rout was on.

Donaldson started things off with a two-run homer to left, his third as a member of the Brewers.

After Brice Turang struck out, Blake Perkins followed by drawing another walk to begin a streak of seven consecutive Milwaukee batters reaching base.

William Contreras singled and Carlos Santana doubled, each driving in runs, then Mark Canha doubled in two more. Sal Frelick singled in Canha and Adames singled Frelick to third to bring Donaldson to the plate once again.

He drove in Frelick with a groundout, then Turang singled in Adames, stole second and scored on a Perkins double.

That turned the lineup over, and Yelich responded with a two-run, opposite-field homer – his first round-tripper since Aug. 28 – to up Milwaukee's lead to 12-0 before Contreras flew out to center, which drew mocking cheers from the smallish crowd.

The final tally: 15 batters to the plate, 12 runs, nine hits – one by every player in the lineup – and a partridge in a pear tree for the Brewers.

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It marked the seventh time Milwaukee had scored 10 or more runs in an inning; the first time since June 28, 2021 it had done so (10 runs in the eighth inning against the Cubs); and the first time since April 18, 2010 it did so on the road (10 in the first inning at the Nationals, with Craig Counsell clubbing a grand slam).

The 12 runs represented the second-largest output in a single inning in franchise history; the Brewers scored 13 in the fifth inning against the California Angels on July 8, 1990.

Low-pressure outing for Corbin Burnes

The pitching is lined up perfectly for the Brewers in their biggest series of the season, with Corbin Burnes starting on Friday, Brandon Woodruff on Saturday and Freddy Peralta on Sunday.

But thanks to the huge second inning, Burnes was able to turn in a low-pressure, five-inning outing before Counsell pulled the plug.

Burnes (10-8) allowed a pair of hits and a pair of walks while striking out six over 97 pitches.

The five innings were Burnes's fewest since June 19.

Yelich did his part to ensure the next pitcher in, Trevor Megill, had more than enough breathing room when he took the mound by bashing his second homer of the game – this one a three-run shot to center in the top of the sixth.

In scoring 16 runs, the Brewers topped their previous season high of 14 runs established on Aug. 3 against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

No doubt, this one had to feel good to the Brewers, who were knocked from the postseason in the season's last week in 2022 in Milwaukee when they dropped three of four to the Marlins.

Miami scuttled Milwaukee's bid for its 15th shutout of the season when Jon Berti took Bryse Wilson out to center to open the Marlins' eighth.

The night was capped by Marlins catcher Jacob Stallings throwing two innings, and then Rowdy Tellez making his mound debut in the ninth.

Tellez threw a scoreless inning and even registered a strikeout, capping a memorable night for the Brewers.

Day started with a Cubs victory

Milwaukee knew well before it took the field that its quest to clinch the Central would have to wait until at least Saturday after the Chicago Cubs shut out the Colorado Rockies, 6-0, at Wrigley Field.

Multiple TVs in the visitors' clubhouse were playing the game, but not to much fanfare.

Not long thereafter, Counsell spoke about what the weekend could potentially hold for both teams. The stakes for the Brewers were self-explanatory; the Marlins were a half-game out of the third and final wild-card spot in the National League after the Cubs' victory.

"This is a day that you want – you want to play in just this series, period," he said. "I think everybody wants to play in games like this. These games do it for you, as much as anything."