The Milwaukee Brewers just won’t allow themselves to lose.
The club set a franchise single-season record with its 14th consecutive victory on Saturday, finding a way to pull out a 6-5 victory over the host Cincinnati Reds in 11 innings.
The Brewers will look to complete a sweep of the three-game series against the Reds on Sunday.
Pinch hitter Andruw Monasterio, who appeared in just his 40th game of the season, hit a three-run homer in the top of the 11th to help the 2025 squad etch its name in the team’s history book.
“It means everything,” Monasterio said. “This is part of my job, be ready at any time. (Manager) Pat Murphy asked me to be ready three, four times, so I was ready for anything. The key for me is my routine. It’s tough, but it’s part of my job. I love this journey. I’m blessed to be part of it and this team.”
Of the Brewers’ 14 straight wins, Saturday marked the eighth come-from-behind victory.
“We never give up,” Monasterio said. “We take it inning by inning. It’s been amazing and I’m happy to be a part of it.”
Trailing by a run in the ninth, the Brewers manufactured the tying run thanks to a pair of walks and Cincinnati shortstop Elly De La Cruz’s throwing error. The teams traded runs in the 10th before Monasterio helped Milwaukee post the major league’s longest winning streak since the 2022 Seattle Mariners (14). The only one longer this decade belongs to the 2021 St. Louis Cardinals (17).
Hoping to prolong the remarkable stretch, Jose Quintana (10-4, 3.44 ERA) makes his 19th start of the season on Sunday. Last time out, Quintana allowed just one run on three hits and one walk with three strikeouts across six innings in a 7-1 home victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday.
The 36-year-old lefty is on pace to finish with a sub-4.00 ERA for the fourth straight season, helping anchor a Milwaukee staff that boasts the major league’s third-best ERA (3.61). A longtime National League Central rival of the Reds as a member of the Chicago Cubs, Quintana is 6-4 with a 2.71 ERA in 16 career appearances (15 starts) against them.
Andrew Abbott (8-3, 2.41 ERA) is vying to continue an impressive season for the Reds on Sunday, as the 26-year-old All-Star left-hander trails only Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes (2.13) for the major league lead in ERA.
Despite the breakout year, Abbott has dropped consecutive starts. He surrendered three runs in 7 2/3 innings on Monday but got little run support in Cincinnati’s 4-1 loss to the visiting Philadelphia Phillies.
“I thought I threw the ball pretty well,” Abbott said of his last start. “I missed my spot on probably three pitches, but like I’ve said before, it’s all about perspective. The ball is coming great out of my hand. I’m feeling good. I think my routine and everything is set in. It wasn’t the outcome we wanted, but it was a good start overall. Moving forward, could I change a few things? Absolutely, I will. We’ll go from here and take it into the next one.”
In six career starts against the Brewers, Abbott is 2-4 with a 4.32 ERA in 33 1/3 innings.
–Field Level Media
