MILWAUKEE (AP) — Sal Frelick hit a solo shot to end Milwaukee’s stretch of seven straight games without a homer and Tyler Black went 3 for 5 with three RBIs as the Brewers trounced the Arizona Diamondbacks 13-2 on Tuesday night.
Milwaukee broke the game open by scoring eight runs in the sixth off reliever Andrew Hoffmann, whose earned run average rose from 2.38 to 8.49.
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Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Brice Turang, top, throws out Arizona Diamondbacks' Nolan Arenado at first after forcing out Adrian del Castillo during the second inning of a baseball game Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras throws out Arizona Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas at first during the fifth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Arizona Diamondbacks pitching coach Brian Kaplan, second from left, talks to starting pitcher Merrill Kelly during the first inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Milwaukee Brewers' Sal Frelick rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run during the second inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Milwaukee Brewers' Sal Frelick, right, celebrates with David Hamilton after hitting a solo home run during the second inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Arizona's Ildemaro Vargas singled in the eighth inning and has hit safely in all 21 games he has played this season. Vargas actually has a 24-game hitting streak if his last three games from 2025 are included.
Vargas has matched the third-longest, single-season hitting streak in Diamondbacks history. The record belongs to Luis Gonzalez, who had a 30-game hitting streak in 1999.
Frelick put the Brewers ahead for good when he led off the second inning by sending a 1-2 pitch from Merrill Kelly (1-2) over the wall in right-center field. Frelick’s 396-foot drive was Milwaukee’s first homer since Turang hit a two-run shot off Miami’s Sandy Alcantara on April 18.
This represented Milwaukee’s longest such drought since August 1999, when the Brewers went a franchise-record 13 straight games without homering. According to Sportradar, the Chicago White Sox also went seven straight games without a homer from April 5-11 of this year.
Milwaukee extended the lead to 3-0 in the fourth on a two-out single from Joey Ortiz.
Arizona cut the margin to 3-2 in the fifth as James McCann singled home two runs after Chad Patrick (2-1) walked the bases loaded. That was the only hit Patrick allowed in five innings, though he also walked five.
Milwaukee answered with two runs in the bottom of the fifth.
The game got out of hand in the sixth as Milwaukee’s first eight batters reached on seven singles and a walk. Contreras and Jake Bauers each singled home two runs in that inning. Hamilton had a two-run double.
Jake Woodford worked the last three innings to earn his first save.
Eduardo Rodríguez (2-0, 2.89 ERA) pitches for Arizona and Brandon Sproat (0-1, 6.45) starts for Milwaukee when the three-game series continues Wednesday night.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Brice Turang, top, throws out Arizona Diamondbacks' Nolan Arenado at first after forcing out Adrian del Castillo during the second inning of a baseball game Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras throws out Arizona Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas at first during the fifth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Arizona Diamondbacks pitching coach Brian Kaplan, second from left, talks to starting pitcher Merrill Kelly during the first inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Milwaukee Brewers' Sal Frelick rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run during the second inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Milwaukee Brewers' Sal Frelick, right, celebrates with David Hamilton after hitting a solo home run during the second inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — When Hampus Lindholm got the puck inside Boston's blue line after teammate Fraser Minten broke up the Buffalo Sabres' rush, and the Bruins defenseman knew immediately who to look for.
Sure enough, there was David Pastrnak already heading toward Buffalo’s zone.
Set up by Lindholm, Pastrnak scored on a breakaway 9:14 into overtime, and the Bruins avoided elimination with a 2-1 win in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night.
“He’s pretty special when it comes to those opportunities, too, so it was fun to see it go in,” Lindholm said.
Pastrnak said the chemistry he has with Lindholm is a result of them being neighbors.
“We always call it the neighbor connection,” Pastrnak said. “Seems like anytime he has the puck and I have an opening, I have the confidence that he’s gonna find me.”
The series shifts back to Boston for Game 6 on Friday night, with Buffalo still seeking to clinch its first playoff series victory since eliminating the New York Rangers in six games of a 2007 second-round series. The Sabres are in the playoffs for only the third time since, and after snapping an NHL record 14-season playoff drought this year.
Elias Lindholm also scored for Boston which overcame a 1-0 deficit. Jeremy Swayman stopped 25 shots, including foiling Jason Zucker set up in front 3:30 into the extra period.
Rasmus Dahlin scored for Buffalo and Alex Lyon stopped 27 shots.
“He’s always lurking,” Lyon said of Pastrnak, whom the goalie robbed on several chances. “Obviously, he’s one of the best players in the league,” Lyon added of a player who reached the 100-point mark for a fourth straight season. “It’s just one play at the end from a really good player. That’s usually how these things go. And now it’s just incumbent on us to move forward.”
The Sabres were caught up ice, and the Bruins jumped into making a line change, with Pastrnak coming off the bench as the turnover occurred.
Accepting Lindholm’s pass in stride as he crossed Buffalo’s blue line, Pastrnak drove in on net a step ahead of Buffalo’s Mattias Samuelsson. He faked cutting across the front and nearly lost his balance before slipping the puck inside the right post.
“He always gets it done. And what a nice finish from him,” coach Marco Sturm said of the 12th-year player. “I’m just very happy because this guy puts a lot of pressure on himself and he wants to be the difference. And today he was.”
The goal was the 41st of Pastrnak’s playoff career, and second in overtime. He scored Boston’s last overtime goal, also coming in an elimination game, to seal the Bruins’ 2-1 win over Toronto in Game 7 of their 2024 first-round series.
Lindholm tied it 9:24 into the second period after his bad-angle shot bounced into the slot. Lindholm got to the loose puck first and, with his back to the net, spun around and fired in a low shot through a crowd.
Dahlin opened the scoring at 3:35 with his first playoff goal, and Buffalo’s first power-play goal in nearly a month. Driving up the left wing, Zucker’s initial pass attempt was blocked before recovering the puck and feeding Dahlin for a one-timer in the right circle.
The Sabres had gone 0-of-17 with the man advantage this series, and entered the playoffs failing to convert 22 straight chances, dating to a 4-3 win over the New York Islanders on March 31.
The Bruins played without second-line forward Viktor Arvidsson, who was hurt in the first period of Game 4 on Sunday.
Buffalo lost rookie forward Noah Ostlund to a lower-body injury in the first period.
Coach Lindy Ruff didn’t reveal what the injury was, but said, “it doesn’t look good.” Ostlund had just returned to the lineup from an upper-body injury in Game 3, in which he had a goal and assist.
The Bruins have won back-to-back outings in Buffalo after squandering a 2-0 lead in the final 7:58 of a 4-3 loss in Game 1. The Sabres won both outings in Buffalo, and were coming off a 6-1 win on Sunday.
“We’re in a good spot. We should be ready for the next one,” Dahlin said. “It’s a tight game and stuff happens, so we’re ready for going to Boston.”
AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Boston Bruins right wing David Pastrnak (88) puts the puck past Buffalo Sabres goaltender Alex Lyon (34) during the overtime period in Game 5 of a first-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
Boston Bruins right wing David Pastrnak (88) celebrates his goal during the overtime period in Game 5 of a first-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series against the Buffalo Sabres Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
Buffalo Sabres goaltender Alex Lyon (34) makes a save during the third period in Game 5 of a first-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series against the Boston Bruins Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman (1) stops a shot by Buffalo Sabres left wing Jason Zucker (17) during the first period in Game 5 of a first-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
Buffalo Sabres goaltender Alex Lyon (34) makes a save during the second period in Game 5 of a first-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series against the Boston Bruins Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
Boston Bruins center Elias Lindholm (28) celebrates his goal with defenseman Charlie McAvoy (73)during the second period in Game 5 of a first-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series against the Buffalo Sabres Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
Buffalo Sabres teammates celebrate a goal by defenseman Rasmus Dahlin (26) during the first period in Game 5 of a first-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series against the Boston Bruins Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
