Packers, Brewers win big games Sunday

It is rare that I begin by saying good morning. Good morning. Hey, good morning. It is the Fox 6 Sports Blitz. Tim Van Voren, Lily Zhao on set. Brandon Cruz out at the ballpark, still hanging around. American Family Field, we're glad you're still hanging around with us. Good start to the National Championship Series for the Brewers. The Packers rather get a win today. We have it all coming up in the next half hour. In fact, let's look at our starting lineup. Brewers off to a wonderful start in the NLCS. having the best record in baseball gives the crew the home field advantage in the postseason they've already gone west to win and may have to do so again plus a pitcher who's used to hair raising situations makes us say what the packers are out for bear tonight at Lambeau Field but injuries continue to be this team's Achilles heel the goal in any game is to get the win you know that's the that's the big thing and you know we did that tonight but no you can't can't go in a game with the game plan and plan to strike out 17 you gotta just do what they give you and roll with the punches all right we're here from Jacob Mizerowski right there let's lead off talking about Jacob Mizerowski Brandon out to you at the ballpark it's always electric when he pitches it's you know it's the Miz night etc and he seems to feed off that the velocity went down a little bit he's so late in the season he's pitched so many innings but boy he looks like a man who's beyond his years out there on the mound. Yeah, he really does. I mean, he sets a tone, and as you mentioned, his velocity drops. We saw that against the Padres as well. He came out against the Padres throwing 104 miles an hour, a drop down to the high 90s. Tonight, his first pitch was 102 miles per hour, and he didn't have all of his stuff. He didn't have great control. He had a number of walks, but he was able to limit the damage. He gave up one RBI single. Other than that, he controlled the Dodgers lineup over a four and a third innings worth of work he did get a double play to help him out of some trouble he also used that emotion that you talked about to finish off uh an inning where he was called for a balk and then you see him stare down the umpire kind of in a celebratory way but what he is is he's fueled by emotion he also understands the moment he's in and he was able to get the 13 outs to help the bullpen do the rest. And so when Jacob Mizorowski pitches, this team has a little more confidence, this team has a little more swagger, and he brings it. And even though he doesn't get credit for the win, his team gets the win. Yeah, a big one, obviously, 13 outs, as you said. That's very important, Lily, as you're counting outs in a postseason baseball game. And, you know, I think people across the country have heard the name, oh, he throws 105 miles an hour. He had to grind. He did, and I think that's going to be the strategy for teams moving forward if the Brewers do advance is to all right if Jacob Mizorowski is on the mound the strategy against him is to get foul off balls and get that pitch count up and that's what the Padres did in the first game that's what the Dodgers were able to do they really got to him in that second inning 35 pitches for Miz in that inning he had to grind it out but again the one run that he gave up was all he gave up and so yes it was kind of a taxing outing for him today but at the end of the day he you know helped the team get the win only gave up one earned run and that was key so yes you know he didn't last more than four and a third which is what he pitched today but luckily he had help behind him lots of help behind him brandon we've talked about this bullpen slot slot slot we still haven't seen chad patrick we still haven't seen shane drone we still haven't seen kyle harrison in the entire postseason so the guys who are pitching are getting a lot of work but boy they are sharp yeah and that's what it is i mean these guys are not messing around when they come in they come in and they do their job uh today DL Hall comes in and gets a double play to get out of out of the issue and and when you see that from him that just kind of set the tone and then after that all of a sudden Adner Uribe's in and you think wait a minute this isn't the seventh or eighth inning this is much earlier but it's because of where the Dodgers were in their lineup and even though he gave up a few hits he still gets a strikeout to end the inning and doesn't allow a run with the Dodgers and he's another guy that uses that emotion to fuel him then you follow that you've got Aaron Ashby who was dialed in for two innings just like he was against the Padres in the clincher so and then it's handed off to Trevor McGill who leaves his way out of a little trouble late uh to secure this win and so what you're seeing is guys handing the baton off or in this case the ball off and being able to do their job to pick up the guy behind them and that's what they do they rely on each guy to do his job and you mentioned the guys that haven't come on yet, most of those guys are expected to go longer times, like to pitch further innings, and the Brewers have not had to have that happen yet. They haven't needed long relief. They have the right arms in place to be able to pick a spot. It was two-thirds of an inning for Hall today. It was one inning for Uribe. It was one inning for McGill. So that's the formula for success so far. They have not needed the distance from the relievers at this point, which is a good thing for Pat Murphy and his staff. You mentioned that, Brandon. Logan Henderson goes for game two on Monday afternoon, and he's such a consistent pitcher. Mike Vassallo of the Brewers out there watching tonight, we appreciate it. He sends a note that counting the postseason, Brewers 11-0 in Logan Henderson's career starts at home. So that's a tremendous number. The Brewers hope to build on that tomorrow, Lily. And that bullpen is rested and ready, I guess, including the guys that Brandon mentioned. Yeah, and that's one big important thing, though. Again, you win the way you did in the division series. That sets up your pitching really well. And again, the guys that they were able to throw up there tonight were absolutely nails, like we've talked about. But then you're going to have another big, you know, probably safe situation, hopefully in game two, behind Logan Henderson. So how does that bullpen stack up against another, you know, potent Dodgers lineup that Dave Roberts will throw up in game two? That's going to be kind of the chess match that is played in this now best-of-seven series. But I think what you can get out of Logan Henderson in game two As you get a little bit more length from him, again, that kind of, you know, maybe alleviates a little bit of the bullpen usage as well. You have to score to win in baseball, though, even if your pitchers are really, really good. And, Brandon, the Brewers hadn't scored until Bryce Turang takes one out the other way against a very good pitcher tonight. This is postseason baseball, Titanic-type action. Yeah, and this is what you're looking for. You're looking for clutch hits, and the Brewers were down 1-0 until Turang leads off to the fourth inning with the home run. And remember, that followed the strikeout by Jacob Mizorowski after the balk call. So there was a huge momentum swing in this building, and you can feel that energy from the crowd. And then in the fifth inning, the Brewers put together a great inning because you have Garrett Mitchell leading off with a walk. Then you have Cooper Pratt with the sacrifice bunt that he says he thought he hit too hard, but it still did. He still got the job done because Luis Lara then comes up and drives in Mitchell with the single. So it was textbook baseball by the Brewers that was executed in a way to give them a win. And so when you look at the offense in the fourth and fifth innings, this is how they do it. If they need a home run, sometimes they get it. When they need to get guys on base, they do it and then they move them around and plate them when they need to. And that's exactly how they got tonight's win. And Brandon, back to you. You mentioned Pratt. You mentioned Lara. Pat Murphy has rookies in the lineup. We saw a shot of Christian Yelich there celebrating on the home run, not in the starting lineup tonight with Andrew Vaughn getting that DH slot. Interesting decisions by the manager and in a close game, in a close series, how important is just factoring in the right guy at the right time? It's huge. And the reason why you saw Andrew Vaughn as a designated hitter over Christian Yelich is because he hits left-handers so well. And sure enough, he hits a double off of Scooble. He doesn't score, but he hit the ball hard and he came through. And so it was a matter of not having lefty on lefty. It was just the way that Andrew Vaughn has hit lefty so well all season. That is why Christian Yelich didn't play. But Christian Yelich is right there. And you mentioned the rookies. He's there to support those guys. And those guys came through at such a clutch moment that it shows you how widespread this team's energy is. It's not just the veterans. It's the young guys delivering when they're asked to, and you can't ask for more if you're Pat Murphy or Christian Yelich in this case. Yeah, absolutely. All right, the Brewers have already celebrated on the West Coast this week, getting through the NLDS into the NLCS. They'll be going to Los Angeles in the upcoming week, but they're off to a good start here in Milwaukee. We're off to a good start on the Fox 6 Sports Blitz. still to come. Rivalry win in Green Bay. Don't go anywhere. This is my crew right here. I'm assuming that's who you're talking about. I don't know about you, but I feel pretty good about it. We'll stop there. I've had enough with the hair for now, and I just D.L. D.L. Hall cut it off the other day in the clubhouse, so it feels good. It feels good. I still get jump scares when I look in the mirror sometimes because i forget and also uh after your rebate was rubbing his head maybe that's for good luck too maybe they can keep doing that tradition you know brewers get another winning game too maybe it's courtesy of aaron ashby we'll see but uh the packers had a lot of good luck at lambeau field today they played at noon against the chicago bears and before we go inside the locker room to hear what the guys thought of the win over their rivals tim you were there today did the packers make a statement are they kind of moving toward where they want to be this season with this win. Not a close shave at all today in Green Bay. I didn't see that coming at all, I will say that. I'm not sure if they can build upon this or not. Now you see they can do it, though. They can bottle one up. They cut down the penalties. They cut down the drops. They cut down the pre-snap mistakes. Lo and behold, you're a better football team. The offensive line is solidifying, and I think the Bears took them for granted. They took them lightly, and the Packers smacked them around a little bit. Didn't talk the way the Bears did from Monday to Saturday, but beat them pretty soundly on Sunday. Yeah, there was a lot of smack talk from the Bears side of things and Luther Bird and Ben Johnson kind of talking the talk before this rivalry game that the Packers answered with their play on the field. Let's go inside the locker room to hear how they responded. Well, they do a whole lot of weird stuff. Like, since I've been here, like, they do a whole lot of stuff that they're worried about us, you know, and we worry about ourselves. So, you know, hopefully they'll learn to stop dissing us, real talk. Yeah, for sure. How do you think that played out then? I mean, what was the score, 31-7? You tell me. It definitely, you know, felt a little extra. I mean, I definitely tried to, you know, not, you know, think about, you know, last year or, you know, those kind of results. I mean, they got new pieces. They're, you know, a new team. We're a new team, you know, a new year. But, I mean, it definitely, when you look back, it definitely has a little, it's a little sweeter. A little sweeter indeed. All right, so the players talked about it, Brandon, Matt LaFleur didn't want to indulge on this rivalry that he and Ben Johnson really have. But, you know, you talk about the postgame handshake that was pretty quick. What did you think Matt LaFleur was feeling when he kind of walked up there to shake Ben Johnson's hand? Well, I'm sure he's feeling pretty good about it because he's walking off with a win. But it's funny because is it a rivalry if only one side is participating? I mean, you know, when you look at this, Matt LaFleur has avoided all of the talk about this the whole time. He's tried to let his players and his team show it. They haven't been able to do too often on the field against the Bears in recent times. So this one against Ben Johnson had to feel real nice. But I do love the fact that this rivalry is heating back up again. You know, you look at sports these days with so many players playing in different places and seeing different organizations, sometimes it feels like the rivalries kind of go dormant. Well, this one is alive and well, and right now it's the Packers who are on the right side of things because of the way they played today. Yeah, you love when this rivalry is spicy. That's what makes it so fun. But, again, there was so much made of, all right, Ben Johnson. He can call a great game. He's got Tyson Bagent. It's going to be an easy win. But, Tim, Matt LaFleur says, I have Jordan Love, and he delivered big time today. Because he was protected. I mean, we've talked about Jordan Love has maybe gotten a little gun shy based on what's happened in the first month of the season this season. That was not a problem. Today, Love was getting protection. He was able to get downfield. He had Christian Watson. He had Matthew Golden. He had Tucker Kraft, you saw there a moment ago. And then they're able to go to the mid-range passes because they're stretching things out against the Bears' defense that hasn't really protected on the perimeter all that well. So it all does fit together. Look at the numbers for Jordan Love. I mean, that's gaudy. That's pretty good. And you talk about something that's pretty good. It's, all right, the duo of Christian Watson and Matthew Golden. You don't have Jaden Reed who's out for the season with that neck injury. But is this what the Packers envisioned they would have with Matthew Golden the second year alongside Watson? Well, that's what Matthew Golden was telling us in the locker room afterwards. This is what we worked on back in training camp. This is what we wanted to do. Now they have had to, as you said, adjust to no Jaden Reed. He's not going to be there in the offensive attack. They really don't have a running attack. So these are their best players on offense. Jordan Love, Christian Watson, Matthew Golden, Tucker Kraft. Use them. Yeah, absolutely. And also use some takeaways, Brandon. And this Packers defense, those came in bunches today. And that's the key. I mean, you always talk about whoever wins the takeaway battle usually wins the game. And the Packers, again, making Bayer look so pedestrian, I guess is the best way to put it, because they just had him just confused with where to go. And Xavier McKinney was all over the place. Evan Williams also a big deal in this one. I just want to say that when you saw that defense start to feel it, They kind of kept putting more and more pressure on that offense to make mistakes, and that's what they were able to take advantage about. And when you see that, it's kind of like, oh, wait a minute. There is something here to be excited about with this Packers team. The defense is able to take advantage of mistakes, and the offense was able to put points on the board from those mistakes. So it all worked hand-in-hand. It was that complementary football, and that defense was ready to really disrupt Bajan's afternoon and then Case Keenum as well. Absolutely. The Packers winning 31-7 over the Chicago Bears. Probably should have been a little bit more. We'll talk about what that little more could be on the other side of this break. All right, the Green Bay Packers beat the Chicago Bears 31-7 earlier this afternoon. There was a lot of good in that game, Tim, but also kind of some things that need to improve. That includes Trey McNabb, who missed three kicks on the day. Is that worrying some, or is it, all right, get the kinks out now in a game that they won handily? Brandon McManus missed two field goals, an extra point against the Bears. the cost of his job same stats for Trey McNabb today just a weird deal McNabb's been kicking well and he kind of went away today the wind was kind of funky Cairo Santos missed a kick as well but yeah i'd say concerning you know all of a sudden is this the are these the yips hopefully hopefully not though he's already missed another extra point this season so this is something that Trace McMcC will have to write again they don't want special teams issues to be an issue moving forward uh brandon another issue though is the injuries for this packers defense back-to-back games another key player on defense goes down with an apparent Achilles and that's Javon Hargrave yeah so far each win of the season for the Packers has also resulted in the loss of a player or more for most likely the season and when you see that it really dampens that win yeah it sounds great that you're you're three and two at this point but then you you lose another key player and and you have to wonder you know just how snakebit this team is right now I mean they They keep losing guys for basically non-contact injuries. I mean, an Achilles again. So when you see this happen, of course, it's now who steps up and makes a difference. But the attrition level here is really getting to a breaking point for this team. And they've all come during wins, which is something that has to be quite concerning for Matt LaFleur and his staff, as well as the rest of the room in there. And another high-priced player, really. Yes, and that's another issue. You're going to lose a high-priced player, and Micah Parsons still on his way back, and you're kind of hoping he comes back with a full defense. All right, we shall see how that goes as well. Meanwhile, Week 9 of the Fox 6 High School Blitz takes us to Marquette University. The Hilltoppers hosting the undefeated Hamilton Chargers. It's a battle for the Greater Metro title for our game of the week. It's going to be a fantastic game tuned in this Friday on the Fox 6 High School Blitz. We'll be right back. All right, Packers passport time. That is Corey Harkey, Packers assistant special teams coach born in Chicago. There's our tie-in. Why are we using that this week? Because he was born in Chicago when his dad was pitching for the Cubs, Mike Harkey. So a little baseball-football overlap for you there, Corey Harkey. Good to see him doing his thing. As seen by TVV, your questions, hit the QR code, hit the various spots to get to me. I'll be answering your questions 1 o'clock tomorrow on Live Now. Always appreciate the interaction with you. Brandon Cruz back out at the ballpark. Lily Zhao is right here. Let's talk a little bit about what the Brewers face upcoming week. They have the Dodgers, Packers next Sunday night hosting the Cowboys. They could be going at the same time if there's a game six. But, Brandon, how much pressure is on the Dodgers to win game two, trying to tie this series, leaving Milwaukee? I definitely think they're the team with the pressure now. You don't want to go back home down 2-0, even though that's how home field advantage works. They need to ride Yamamoto, and they need him to deliver like he did last season. And if they get beat with him on the mound, I think that really shakes their confidence heading back to L.A. because the Brewers will have all the momentum and will have knocked off their two top pitchers. And remember, they brought in Scooble to get this win. He didn't get it done, so now it's all on the shoulders of Yamamoto tomorrow. Brewers have talked about confidence, Lily. Do they exude it? I think they do. I think this is a team coming into the postseason with a different mindset this year, that they can win it all and they can beat the Dodgers. I think that was kind of what they were lacking last season. I think they got one win under their belt to prove they can do it, and now they know, all right, the Dodgers are beatable. We can win this series. Have the Packers saved their season? I think they have. When you protect Jordan Love, great things happen, like you said earlier in our show. They protected Jordan Love. He's a phenomenal player, defense dealing with injuries, but I think this team showed what they can do. Now it's about doing it every single week. And, Brandon, are the football Badgers actually back on the radar? How about that? And they're going to be in L.A. on Saturday taking on UCLA, who's been playing quite well, who just came off a win over Oregon. But I do think they're playing well. We're not hurting for material on the Fox 6 Sports Blitz. Thanks for staying up late with us.