Despite giving up 12 runs on 11 hits – including three home runs – Milwaukee managed to escape with a thrilling walk-off victory over the San Francisco Giants. Brice Turang’s two-home run day gave the Brewers a second straight win.
After Carlos Rodriguez struck out the Giants to start the game, Turang crushed his first home run to deep left field. The solo shot put the Brewers on the board in the bottom of the first inning.
Turang’s home run gave Milwaukee a lead that they would relinquish half an inning later, when Luis Matos – who gave the Brewers plenty of trouble in the 2025 regular season – sent a Rodriguez cutter into the left field stands to tie the game at one run apiece.
Garrett Mitchell drew a walk in his first at-bat of the spring after falling 0-2 in the count. The red-hot Brandon Lockridge doubled to right field to put runners on second and third base, but Jackson Chourio grounded out to the shortstop to end the second inning. Rodriguez would not return for the top of the third inning, while manager Pat Murphy went to Peter Strzelecki. Strzelecki hit the first batter he faced, Christian Koss, before retiring the next two batters. Unfortunately, he did not come out of the inning unscathed. Strzelecki’s second pitch to Bryce Eldridge was an 90 mph fastball in the zone, which Eldridge sent 350 feet for the Giants’ second home run of the game.
San Francisco would score five more runs off prospect Garrett Stallings in the top of the fourth inning. After a home run by Harrison Bader and a triple by Jung Hoo Lee, the score was 8-1, and the game seemed out of reach for the home team – but only briefly. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Giants pitcher Carson Whisenhunt (replacing starter Adrian Houser) absolutely melted away and walked the first three batters he faced. Joey Ortiz then hit a bases-loaded single into left field, scoring Andrew Vaughn from third base and Luis Rengifo from second base. Whisenhunt then walked Brandon Lockridge, and Giants manager Tony Vitello had seen enough. Righthander Tristan Beck entered the game and faced Chourio with the bases loaded.
Chourio issued an 11-pitch walk to keep the bases loaded for Turang. Beck’s first pitch was a slider low and away, and Turang was ready: He crushed a 450-foot grand slam to center field. Suddenly the game was tied at eight.
Turang’s first home run today left the bat at 171.5 km/h, and the grand slam had an exit velocity of 173.2 km/h. Neither home run was scored. For a player who seemed to tap into more power in the second half of last season, that’s an incredibly encouraging sign.
In the top of the fifth, Brewers number 1 Jesús Made came into the game defensively for Turang and wasted no time in making his presence known. In his first at bat, Made smoked a triple to right field. He scored one pitch later on a home run by William Contreras, giving the Brewers a 9-8 lead. Meanwhile, prospects Tyson Hardin, Brett Wichrowski, Brian Fitzpatrick and Manuel Rodriguez blanked the Giants over the next four innings.
In the top of the ninth, the score was 10-8 Milwaukee (thanks to an RBI single by Made). Edwin Jimenez, playing for Rodriguez, failed to make the save. Jimenez gave up hits to Grant McCray and Daniel Susac to start the inning. Jerar Encarnacion then hit a ground ball to Brock Wilken at third base, but Wilken was unable to field it, allowing McCray to score. Jimenez was unable to bounce back from the error, allowing the Giants to score three more runs around a pitching change (to Stiven Cruz) before the inning finally, mercifully, ended with the score now 12-10.
After coming back from a seven-point deficit, it looked like the Brewers were going to give it away. That is, until Matthew Wood led off the bottom of the ninth with a double. Eddys Leonard then hit a bloop that fell in for a single and the first run of the inning. Twenty-year-old Josh Adamczewski also singled to put runners on first and second base for Luis Lara, who hit a force out for the first out. The next batter, Freddy Zamora, lined a single to left field to tie the score at 12 and put the winning run at third base. Outfielder Greg Jones lofted a fly ball to center that was deep enough to score Lara from third for the winning run, giving Milwaukee a thrilling 13-12 spring victory.
Aside from Turang’s performance (2-for-3, two home runs, five RBIs), Brewers fans have a lot to be excited about after this game. Made, who started last season in Low-A, looked good today. Made went 2-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored. Adamczewski, one of the biggest breakouts in the farm system last year, singled in the ninth. Ortiz is now hitting .273 this spring after his two-run (bases full!) single. Luis Lara scored two points. Jackson Chourio walked 11 pitches. The future looks bright in Milwaukee.
The Brewers get back to work tomorrow when they take on the Texas Rangers. The first pitch is scheduled for 2:05 PM CT.
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