The Milwaukee Brewers extended their season-high winning streak to nine games on Saturday night, defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-7 in a closely contested matchup at Dodger Stadium. Freddy Peralta earned his seventh consecutive winning decision despite a challenging outing, while Isaac Collins and Joey Ortiz each homered to help Milwaukee maintain its momentum against the National League West leaders.
The Brewers entered the game as slight underdogs with moneyline odds around +110, while the Dodgers were listed at -130. The over/under for total runs was set at 8.5, a line surpassed by the sixth inning in a high-scoring affair that saw both teams exchange early offensive bursts.
Peralta, now 12-4 on the season, became the first major league pitcher to record 12 wins. The right-hander allowed four earned runs on five hits over five innings, seeing his earned run average rise from 2.66 to 2.85. Despite a rocky third inning, Peralta escaped further damage after the Dodgers scored four runs to tie the game. With a runner on third and no outs, Peralta recorded a strikeout, a groundout to shortstop with the infield in, and a flyout to limit the inning’s impact.
Los Angeles starter Emmet Sheehan, making just his second appearance of the season, surrendered five runs on seven hits over three-plus innings and was tagged with the loss, falling to 1-1.
The Brewers opened scoring with a four-run rally in the third inning, only to see the Dodgers match it in the bottom half. Milwaukee regained the lead in the fourth when Collins cleared the short right-field wall with a solo homer measuring 363 feet. They added to the advantage in the sixth with an RBI double from Caleb Durbin, extending the lead to 6-4.
The Dodgers responded in their half of the sixth when Tommy Edman broke a hitless streak of 29 at-bats with a single, followed by Shohei Ohtani’s run-scoring single to narrow the margin to one. However, Milwaukee’s bullpen held its ground, and the offense continued to produce.
Andrew Vaughn delivered a two-out RBI single in the seventh to push Milwaukee’s lead to 7-5. Ortiz added what would prove to be a crucial insurance run with a solo home run in the eighth, increasing the margin to 8-5. Los Angeles made one final push with back-to-back solo home runs from Edman and Miguel Rojas in the bottom of the eighth, but Ohtani’s fly ball with a runner on base fell short on the warning track to end the inning.
Closer Trevor Megill retired the Dodgers in order in the ninth to record his 23rd save, preserving Milwaukee’s victory and extending the Dodgers’ recent slump, which has now seen them lose nine of their last 11 games.
The Brewers are now 5-0 this season against Los Angeles, including a three-game sweep at home last week. The series concludes on Sunday, with the Dodgers sending left-hander Clayton Kershaw (4-1, 3.88 ERA) to the mound against Brewers lefty Jose Quintana (6-3, 3.28 ERA).
