MILWAUKEE — Hunter Renfroe rescued the Milwaukee Brewers when they were one strike away from a fourth consecutive defeat.
Luis Urías and Brent Suter took over from there and helped the Brewers extend their NL Central lead Friday night with a 6-5 victory over the Colorado Rockies in 13 innings.
Renfroe ripped a 2-2 slider from Robert Stephenson over the left-field wall for a game-tying, two-run homer with two outs in the 10th inning. Renfroe’s 14th homer of the season - and first since June 19 - traveled an estimated 447 feet.
Urías hit a bloop single to bring home the winning run in the 13th, and Suter (2-3) didn’t allow any baserunners in two innings of relief.
“Before two strikes, I was trying to hit a homer,” said Renfroe, who missed three weeks in late June and early July with a left calf strain. “I was. I was trying to hit a homer to center field, and whatever happened, happened.”
Milwaukee leads the NL Central by 1 1/2 games over the St. Louis Cardinals, who lost 9-5 at Cincinnati. This was the longest game the Brewers have played in terms of innings since the automatic runner extra-inning format took effect in 2020.
PHOTOS: Brewers edge Rockies 6-5 in 13, extend their NL Central lead
“Just an amazing game,” Suter said.
Neither team scored in the 11th or 12th innings. The Brewers squandered a bases-loaded, one-out opportunity in the 12th before breaking through in the 13th.
Urías fell behind 0-2 but worked the count to 2-2 and finally delivered a single to right-center off Jake Bird (1-2) that scored automatic runner Jonathan Davis from second. Urías had been hitless in five at bats before that game-winning single.
“I was trying to put it in play,” Urías said. “The game gets hard sometimes, but you’ve got to keep going and forget about the other ABs. I was trying to stay in the moment and do my best.”
Urías also was a central figure on a big play in the top of the 11th inning that foiled a Rockies scoring opportunity.
When José Iglesias led off with a grounder to shortstop Willy Adames, automatic runner Ryan McMahon attempted to advance from second to third on the play. Urías caught Adames’ throw on the bounce and tried to apply the tag.
When McMahon was ruled out, the Rockies challenged the call. Although some replays appeared to show Urías might not have made the tag in time, the call was upheld.
“I don’t understand that at all,” McMahon said. “I don’t understand how they messed that up.”
The Rockies took a 5-3 lead against Jandel Gustave in the top of the 10th. Charlie Blackmon hit a one-out RBI single, advanced to third on C.J. Cron’s single and scored on Brendan Rodgers’ sacrifice fly.
Renfroe answered in the bottom half of the inning.
Colorado’s Charlie Blackmon had three RBIs and hit his 15th homer, a two-run blast in the third inning against reigning Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes. Adames hit a solo homer and Andrew McCutchen had a two-run shot for Milwaukee in the bottom of the third.
There was an additional encouraging sign for the Brewers.
Milwaukee’s Josh Hader pitched a scoreless ninth with two strikeouts and a walk, a sign that the four-time All-Star may be breaking out of his slump.
Hader had allowed nine runs over one-third of an inning in his last two appearances, which included blowing a 5-2 lead in the ninth inning of an 8-5 loss at San Francisco. The left-hander had given up 12 runs over 4 1/3 innings in his last six outings, raising his ERA from 1.05 to 4.50.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Rockies: RHP Antonio Senzatela struck out four, walked one and allowed seven hits and three runs after getting activated from the injured list earlier in the day. Senzatela hadn’t pitched since July 1 due to right shoulder inflammation.
Brewers: RHP Freddy Peralta is scheduled to begin a rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Nashville on Saturday as he works his way back from a right lat strain. Peralta hasn’t pitched since May 22. … RHP Miguel Sánchez hasn’t pitched since June 21 due to discomfort in his ulnar collateral ligament, and he recently had a setback in his recovery. … OF Tyrone Taylor was activated from the 7-day concussion injured list.
UP NEXT
Former Brewers RHP José Ureña (1-1, 2.05 ERA) starts for the Rockies and RHP Brandon Woodruff (7-3, 3.93) pitches for Milwaukee as this four-game series continues Saturday. Ureña signed with the Rockies in May after the Brewers designated him for assignment in late March.
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