MILWAUKEE (AP) — Rowdy Tellez hit his first homer in more than three months and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the San Diego Padres 7-3 on Friday for their season high-tying sixth straight victory.
Brandon Woodruff (3-1) struck out 11 and allowed only one run in six innings as the NL Central-leading Brewers (71-57) moved a season-high 14 games above .500. The Brewers also won six consecutive games from April 1-7.
Tellez hit a three-run shot to center that capped the Brewers’ five-run outburst against Yu Darvish (8-10) in the third inning. His 406-foot drive off a 1-1 curve was his first homer since May 22 and ended a career-high string of 128 straight at bats without going deep.
He added an RBI single in the seventh inning for his first multi-hit game since June 13.
This has been a difficult season for Tellez, who hit a career-high 35 homers last year. He entered Friday with a .679 OPS, down from .902 in early May. Tellez spent six weeks on the injured list – first with a right forearm issue and later with a fracture in his left ring finger – before getting activated last weekend.
The game was scoreless before Darvish ran into trouble in the third.
He started the inning by allowing Brice Turang's single and hitting Tyrone Taylor with a pitch. One out later, William Contreras singled home Turang. Willy Adames continued his hot streak with a two-out RBI single before Tellez connected.
Adames also singled and scored in the seventh inning. Adames has gone 12 of 26 with 10 RBIs over his last six games.
San Diego's only runs came on homers from Manny Machado and Gary Sánchez. Machado hit a solo shot off Woodruff in the fourth inning and Sánchez had a two-run homer off Andrew Chafin in the ninth.
Woodruff gave up three hits and three walks while lowering his ERA to 2.65. He has allowed more than two runs in just one of his six starts this season.
Darvish lasted just four innings and allowed six hits and five runs. He struck out three and walked one.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Padres: 1B Jake Cronenworth left the game after a ninth-inning pitch from Chafin hit him in the area of his right wrist. ... Machado was at 3B on Friday after being limited to DH duties his last two games due to an elbow issue. … RHP Joe Musgrove played catch Friday and is expected to do so again Saturday.
Brewers: OF Sal Frelick missed a fourth straight game with a hamstring injury. He participated in a pregame workout to indicate how soon he could return. ... RHP Julio Teheran (hip) pitched three innings Friday in a rehabilitation assignment with Single-A Wisconsin. He threw 43 pitches (30 strikes) and struck out four while allowing three hits, one run and no walks.
SALUTING SABATHIA
Former Brewers LHP CC Sabathia threw out the first pitch as the Brewers recognized the 15th anniversary of his 2008 performance, when he led the franchise to its first playoff appearance since 1982. Although Sabathia only spent half a season with the Brewers, he went 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA and and seven complete games over 17 starts during that stretch.
“I think (Christian) Yelich’s second half of 2018 is probably right up there, but CC’s second half of 2008, you talk about those pretty much the same, as good as we’ve ever seen a Brewer play in the second half of a season,” Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell said.
UP NEXT
RHP Pedro Avila (0-0, 1.17 ERA) starts for the Padres and RHP Freddy Peralta (10-8, 3.97) pitches for the Brewers on Saturday night. Peralta is 4-0 with a 1.47 ERA over his last five starts.
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