Thames hits moonshot, Brewers edge D-Backs 5-4

Eric Thames hit a two-run homer, Erik Kratz added a solo shot and the Milwaukee Brewers edged Arizona 5-4 on Wednesday afternoon.

Kratz put Milwaukee on the board in the bottom of the second inning with his home run to deep center field to tie the game 1-1. Thames launched his two-run dinger in the fourth off Robbie Ray to give the Brewers a 3-2 lead.

After Milwaukee scored another run in the sixth on a Kratz RBI single, the Diamondbacks tied it up in the eighth inning. But Brewers prospect Lucas Erceg came through in the bottom half of the inning, bringing home Nate Orf for a 5-4 lead.

Milwaukee reliever Adrian Houser shut the door on Arizona in the ninth for his first save of spring training.

Starting pitcher Jhoulys Chacin allowed one run over three innings of work. Josh Hader faced three Diamondbacks hitters and fanned the side, pushing his total to six Ks this spring.

Jeremy Jeffress made his spring debut, but it was short-lived. Jeffress was removed from the mound after three pitches due to shoulder soreness. Manager Craig Counsell reported after the game that the plan is to give Jeffress a few days of rest to strengthen the shoulder.

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The Brewers visit the Chicago White Sox in split-squad scrimmages on Thursday afternoon.