ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - The Milwaukee Brewers have scored only seven runs in their last three games. But they won all three, including Saturday night’s 3-0 decision over the Tampa Bay Rays when Zach Davies didn’t give up a hit until the sixth inning.
“Our offense is not going very good,” third baseman Travis Shaw said. “(Three) runs tonight is enough to win, on most nights it’s not. But our pitching staff has done a great job. Two shutouts here, you can’t ask for anything more.”
Davies gave up one hit in seven innings and Milwaukee remained a half-game behind the NL Central-leading Chicago Cubs. It was the second straight shutout for the Brewers.
Davies (13-5) walked two and struck out two. Two relievers helped the Brewers stretch their streak of shutout innings to 22.
Lucas Duda’s single to center with one out in the sixth was the only hit off Davies, who by then had noticed the zero under “hits” on the scoreboard.
“Everybody knows it. They’re lying to you if they say they don’t, but that was the way I wanted the game to go,” he said. “I wanted to get guys to put the ball in play. … (A no-hitter) can happen sometimes, but at the end of the day that’s not my goal. My goal is to get deep in the game and give the team a chance to win.”
Keon Broxton scored the game’s first run after a leadoff single off Rays starter Alex Cobb in the third. Broxton stole a base and scored on Orlando Arcia’s double.
Hernan Perez added a home run, his 12th of the season, to help the Brewers tack on two runs in the ninth off reliever Ryne Stanek.
Two errors on Perez set up the Rays’ first scoring threat in the fifth, before they had a hit.
Two singles off reliever Jacob Barnes and a throwing error on catcher Manny Pina put two more runners in scoring position with one out in the eighth, but Barnes got out of it with a strikeout and a fly ball.
Anthony Swarzak pitched the ninth for his first save.
“Needless to say, the offense has gone a little quiet,” said manager Kevin Cash, who has seen his Rays go scoreless for 20 innings. “The guy we faced last night (Brandon Woodruff), we had opportunities. The guy we faced tonight, there weren’t any opportunities.”
Cobb (9-8) gave up one run and five hits in six innings.
After leading off the second with the game’s first hit, Shaw missed most of the game. While stealing second base, he took a throw from catcher Jesus Sucre directly on the left side of his neck. Perez ran for him and replaced him at third base. Concussion tests cleared Shaw to play, perhaps as early as Sunday.
“The neck’s obviously a little stiff right now, but that’s basically the extent of it,” he said.
TRAINER’S ROOM
BREWERS: RHP Chase Anderson (left oblique strain) will begin a rehab assignment on Tuesday. Anderson has not pitched in a game since June 28.
RAYS: RHP Jake Odorizzi, who was placed on the disabled list July 26 with a lower back strain, will pitch Wednesday’s game against the Boston Red Sox, Cash announced.
UP NEXT
RHP Jimmy Nelson (9-5, 3.37) will pitch Sunday’s series finale for the Brewers against RHP Chris Archer (8-6, 3.89), who will go for his 15th straight start of pitching at least six innings. Neither pitcher has ever faced the other team.
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