Brewers beat Giants; local artist’s Barrelman hat takes spotlight

MILWAUKEE - Kyle Harrison matched his season high with 12 strikeouts, Jake Bauers hit a three-run homer and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the San Francisco Giants 8-3 on Tuesday night.

Brewers win

What we know:

Harrison (7-1) allowed one run over 5 2/3 innings, improving to 6-0 in his last seven starts. He fanned at least 10 batters for the fifth time in his career and third this season as the NL Central-leading Brewers moved a season-high 16 games over .500.

Harrison received a standing ovation as he left the field after throwing 106 pitches. Alan Ashby struck out Buddy Kennedy to end the sixth.

Bauers connected off Trevor McDonald (2-3) in the first inning for his team-leading 10th homer after Christian Yelich and Jackson Chourio walked.

Willy Adames’ solo shot in the sixth snapped Harrison’s scoreless streak at 23 innings.

The Giants closed within 4-3 in the eighth on pinch-hit RBI singles by Bryce Eldridge and Jung Hoo Lee. But the Brewers broke it open with four runs in the bottom half against Tristan Beck. Yelich hit a two-run single, Chourio added an RBI double and Brice Turang knocked in his second run of the night with a single.

San Francisco has lost seven of eight under first-year manager Tony Vitello. Before the game, the Giants hired Gary Pettis as their third base coach, less than a week after reassigning Hector Borg to a player-development role.

Harrison came up with the Giants in 2023 and was traded to the Red Sox last year in the Rafael Devers deal. The Brewers acquired him in an offseason trade with Boston.

Barrelman hat giveaway

Local perspective:

The Brewers also highlighted Madison-based artist Ka Lee on Tuesday. Lee designed the hat given to the first 10,000 fans at the game. The giveaway featured a modernized version of the team’s Barrelman mascot, part of the Brewers’ local artist series.

Weeknights are not always the strongest for attendance at American Family Field, but Tuesday was different. Fans lined up early to get the hat.

"I was told I had to get ready early, so we could get here early for it. So, I kinda kicked my butt into gear to get here, and I'm super excited we got it," Brewers fan Allie Fritsch said.

"I like Barrelman. It's cool to see him. I like that he's a little grumpy, a little aggressive, different," Brewers fan Evan Knueppel said.

Lee, 34, said he had stepped away from drawing for a while before his 2-year-old son kept asking him to make drawings. That helped bring him back to art.

The Brewers noticed Lee’s playful, character-driven style a few months ago. Tuesday night, his work was on 10,000 hats handed out across the ballpark.

"Man, I'm overwhelmed. I think of all the feelings, I was nervous at first, and, you know, just really wasn't sure what to expect," Lee said.

Lee said he created the design digitally on an iPad, but it did not feel real until he saw it on Brewers players and fans.

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"I drew it on the iPad. Of course, it's digital. There's nothing to it. It's not tangible, right? I sent it to him and it was just like, whatever," he said. "Four months later, he's like, 'Hey, check this out.' Saw it on Jake Bauers. I'm like, 'That's not real. That's not real.’"

After throwing out the first pitch Tuesday, Lee said seeing fans connect with the design meant everything.

"They're loving it, they enjoy it, they're wearing it. Yeah, it means the world. I can't even explain it," Lee said.

Up next

What's next:

RHP Logan Webb (2-4, 4.82 ERA) pitches for the Giants Wednesday. The Brewers had not named a starter.