Brewers 20, Reds 0: Mitchell's Slam and a Playoff Clinch

Twenty runs, two hits, a clinch

September 11, 2026 - Milwaukee - Garrett Mitchell had never hit a grand slam in the majors. He did it in the fifth inning of a game the Milwaukee Brewers already led 13-0, and the Associated Press recap called it the club's first slam of the season. The Cincinnati Reds never scored. Milwaukee won 20-0, piled up a season-high 23 hits, and clinched a playoff spot as the best record in baseball.

American Family Field was clear and 73 degrees, wind in from center at 8 mph. Attendance was 41,879. The game lasted 2 hours, 27 minutes. That is a short night for 20 runs. Dustin May and Garrett Stallings combined on a two-hitter. Every Cincinnati hit belonged to Sal Stewart.

The Brewers are 92-56. They lead the NL Central by 10 games. The Associated Press said their magic number to clinch the division is four. Friday locked the other thing: they are in the tournament.

Abbott lasted two. Milwaukee did not wait.

Andrew Abbott (6-11) lasted two innings, nine hits, eight runs, no walks, no strikeouts, 43 pitches. The AP recap called it his shortest start of the season. The first inning was already enough to show the night's shape.

Jackson Chourio reached. William Contreras lifted a sacrifice fly to center, Chourio scoring. 1-0. Brice Turang reached. Andrew Vaughn lined a double to left, Turang scoring. 2-0. Two outs, two runs, and Abbott had not recorded a clean inning.

The second ended the argument. Cooper Pratt scored on Chourio's ground-rule double. Turang then lined his 18th homer to right-center, Mitchell and Chourio aboard. 6-0. Jake Bauers followed with a two-run drive to center, his 25th. The AP recap measured it at 412 feet. 8-0. Six runs in the inning. Abbott was done after two.

Julian Garcia and Brock Burke tried to slow it down. Bauers singled Turang home in the fourth, a ball Carlos Jorge misplayed in center. 9-0. Milwaukee had already scored more runs than some clubs put up in a weekend. Cincinnati had two hits and no idea how to get the next one.

Mitchell's slam, then Contreras in the eighth

Luis Mey inherited the fifth and could not find an out that stuck. Mitchell scored on Chourio's single. Joey Ortiz scored on Turang's 33rd double. Contreras singled Chourio and David Hamilton home. 13-0. Bases still loaded. Mitchell then hit a grand slam to center, his 10th, Contreras, Luis Lara, and Pratt aboard. 17-0. First career slam. Eight runs in the inning. Mey lasted one inning, eight hits, eight runs.

Tejay Antone got an out. Burke threw a clean sixth. Jose Trevino came in to pitch the seventh and retired the side. In the eighth, Contreras hit a three-run homer to left, his 16th, Ortiz and Hamilton scoring. 20-0. Trevino finished two innings, three hits, three runs. A catcher on the mound in a 17-run game is not a strategy. It is a surrender.

Chourio went 4-for-6 with two doubles, three runs, and two RBI. Turang went 3-for-3 with a walk, a homer, a double, three runs, and four RBI. Mitchell finished 3-for-5 with four RBI. Contreras drove in six. Ortiz had four hits. Bauers had two hits and two RBI. Vaughn doubled and singled before he left. Christian Yelich went 0-for-4. The lineup did not need him.

Two hits, both Stewart, and a streak that did not matter

May (7-9) worked six innings, two hits, no runs, one walk, six strikeouts, 84 pitches. The AP recap noted he was acquired from St. Louis at the trade deadline and that this was his seventh start for Milwaukee. Stewart singled twice. Everybody else made outs. Elly De La Cruz walked in the sixth and extended his on-base streak to 18 games. He also went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts. Eugenio Suárez walked. The rest of the order was zeros.

Stallings threw the last three innings for his first save: no hits, one walk, two strikeouts, 30 pitches. Cincinnati left five on and committed one error. Milwaukee left five on and still scored 20. That is what 23 hits look like when the extra-base balls keep coming.

The Reds are 69-78. Brady Singer (6-13, 5.03) starts Saturday. Milwaukee had not named a starter when the AP recap posted. The Brewers have the best record in the majors and a playoff spot in hand. A 20-0 at home does not need a second paragraph of meaning. It is the night the ticket got punched and the box score ran out of room.

AthX Engine after the baseball

AthX Engine (our projection and scoring system) put May at 25 pitching fantasy points, the top pitcher total on a 15-game Friday. Turang checked in at 15 hitting FP. Contreras had 13. Mitchell had 13. Chourio had 10. Milwaukee finished with 43 team FP, the day's high. Cincinnati finished at minus-21.

Fantasy points measure the night under platform scoring rules. Share prices also move with traders through dynamic pricing. They are related. They are not the same number.

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*Sources: ESPN recap and box score, MLB.com Gameday wrap, MLB.com schedule, and AthX Engine scoring. Information only; not financial advice.*