MILWAUKEE _ As tough as the loss was to take the previous night, this one was that much worse.
One day after blowing a 1-0 lead in the ninth inning, the Brewers allowed an 8-5 lead get away in the final inning Saturday, losing in crushing fashion to the Los Angeles Dodgers, 10-8, at Miller Park.
With closer Corey Knebel unavailable due to a heavy workload, including blowing the save Friday night, manager Craig Counsell went to Carlos Torres to protect the three-run lead, with disastrous results.
A throwing error by first baseman Jesus Aguilar didn't help, leaving two on with one out, but Torres melted down afterward in horrific fashion. A single by pinch-hitter Austin Barnes loaded the bases and Torres walked Cody Bellinger to force in a run.
Chris Taylor then crushed a 2-2 cutter from Torres off the batter's eye in center, a 430-foot shot that turned a two-run deficit into a two-run lead, giving the Brewers another tough-to-take defeat after a 2-1, 12-inning heartbreaker Friday night.
The Dodgers' otherwise stalwart bullpen put the Brewers in position to win by allowing five runs in the seventh inning after Chris Hatcher walked the bases loaded. Josh Fields, with a 0.81 earned-run average and one homer allowed in 22 appearances, quickly unloaded them by serving up Travis Shaw's first career grand slam on a 2-0 pitch.
Hernan Perez followed with a no-doubter to left to make it back-to-back homers and just like that, a 4-3 deficit became an 8-4 lead.
Matt Garza started for the Brewers but made it through only four innings, leaving with an unusual injury. Garza suffered a bruised chest when colliding with Aguilar near the first-base bag in the top of the fourth.
As opposed to the crisply played pitchers' duel of the previous evening, the early innings of this one included much sloppiness. The Brewers scored twice in the first inning for a 2-1 lead, one run scoring on third baseman Kike Hernandez's error and the other on a wild pitch by lefty Rich Hill.
The Dodgers tied the score in the second on an error by Garza, covering first base. With two on and one out, Yasmani Grandal grounded into what should have been an inning-ending 3-6-1 double play, but Garza missed the return throw from shortstop Orlando Arcia and Chase Utley scored when the ball went in the dugout.
It didn't stay tied long. With two down in the bottom of the inning, Aguilar blasted a 435-foot homer to left off Hill to put the Brewers back on top, 3-2.
Bellinger led off the Dodgers fourth with a grounder to Aguilar, who didn't get to the bag in time to prevent a hit as Bellinger beat Garza there. Aguilar and Garza then collided near the bag, shaking up the pitcher. After being attended to and throwing a couple of warm-up pitches, Garza remained in the game but not for long.
After a walk to Chris Taylor and a two-out double steal, Yasiel Puig was walked intentionally to load the bases. Hill tried a drag bunt but got too much wood on it and popped out to second baseman Jonathan Villar near the outfield grass. Utley then grounded out to first and the Brewers held the 3-2 lead on what was Garza's last pitch of the game.
Oliver Drake recorded the next four outs for the Brewers, but Jared Hughes didn't fare as well when taking over with one down in the sixth. Hughes allowed three consecutive singles and uncorked a run-scoring wild pitch as the Dodgers scored twice to go on top, 4-3.
