Top Play (WPA):
The eighth inning was the disaster inning for the Brewers, as a 3-2 lead became a 6-3 deficit. Mike Trout hit a leadoff home run to tie the game at 3, but Thornburg nearly managed to escape with just that limited damage. With a man on first and one out, Andrelton Simmons was jammed on an inside fastball and hit a soft ground ball to shortstop that turned into a forceout.

If Simmons had made better contact, the ball might very well have been a double play, and the Brewers go to the bottom of the eighth disappointed but very much in the game. As it was, though, Thornburg walked Geovany Soto and gave up a fly ball double to CJ Cron that gave the Angels a lead they wouldn’t relinquish (+.271).

Bottom Play (WPA):
The Brewers had a big opportunity to blow the game open much earlier in the game, but the bottom of the fifth’s key ground ball did in fact turn into a double play. Three consecutive singles netted the Brewers both a run and an excellent chance to score more, but Jonathan Lucroy popped up and Chris Carter hit a chopper up the middle for an easy double play (-.114).

Carter was victimized by the shift, as his ground ball was fielded by the second baseman on the shortstop side of the bag, but the ball was hit so weakly that it likely would have been a double play even with normal positioning. This moment was particularly disappointing given Carter’s recent hot hitting, but obviously no one can deliver each time.

Trend to Watch:
Ryan Braun had a tremendous April, and his last week has been scorching hot: a .400 batting average and .464 OBP. His overall season line is .374/.441/.593, and clearly his return to left field is agreeing with him.

I had assumed that MVP level Ryan Braun was gone, and, given his age (32), that is likely still the case. However, at this point, Braun is demonstrating that he has still some life left in his bat, which is a positive whether it be because of a boost in trade value or a legitimate middle-of-the-order threat.

Key Moment:
It’s tough to keep harping on this, but the Will Smith injury has truly thrown the Brewers’ bullpen into a tailspin. The team had an above-average bullpen last year, ranking in the top half of the FIP leaderboard in 2015. But thus far in 2016, the group has been a disaster: they rank 29^th in 2016.

Jeffress had pitched each of the three previous games, so he was almost definitely unavailable on Wednesday. However, having Smith as a co-closer would obviously create a different dynamic, and having an additional shut-down late inning option would help the Brewers avoid situations such as the one they faced on Wednesday, when they had to turn to Tyler Thornburg to hold a slim eighth-inning lead.

Smith joins a long tradition of unfortunate and absurd injuries for the Milwaukee Brewers. Last April, Scooter Gennett was wounded by the showers at PNC Park, as he cut himself on a rack and needed five stitches between his index and middle fingers and was forced to the disabled list for 14 games. Two years ago in spring training, Milwaukee’s last closer, Francisco Rodriguez, stepped on a cactus and suffered a foot injury that threatened his Opening Day status. That April, Ryan Braun accidentally knocked Jean Segura in the head with a warmup swing in the dugout. The shortstop needed stitches for a gash on his face, resulting in four missed games.

In 2012, Jonathan Lucroy was sent to the disabled list for 50 games after a hotel room suitcase accident led to a broken hand for the catcher. In 2011, Chris Narveson sliced open his thumb while attempting to fix his glove, needed eight stitches, and missed two starts in August. In 2004, Wes Helms missed 34 games after slipping and falling during a rain delay and injuring his knee. Going all the way back to 1987, Dan Plesac suffered “strained muscles on both sides of his left elbow” after running into an outfield fence while shagging fly balls during batting practice and missed 10 days in late August.

The most comical came in 1994 from knuckleball pitcher Steve Sparks. After the Brewers brought in the absurd motivational group Radical Reality — “You’re either an image maker, or an image breaker” — that sends a powerful message about self-esteem by punching through bricks and bending frying pans. It’s hard to believe a team inspired by a performance like this was 53-62 and in last place when the players’ strike ended the 1994 season:

Sparks thought he could replicate one of Radical Reality’s trademark stunts, ripping a phonebook in half. When Sparks tried it himself, he dislocated his shoulder for the seventh time in his career.  Sparks, who had yet to reach the majors, was unable to recover and make the club out of spring training, but he was able to toss 183 innings at Triple-A and started a nine-year MLB career the next season in Milwaukee.

The timing couldn’t be worse for Smith, who was poised to enter the season as the Brewers co-closer with Jeremy Jeffress. The injury is not expected to be season ending, but manager Craig Counsell said it will cost Smith “significant time.” It’s unclear if Smith will require surgery, but if so, he will likely miss at least a few months.

Smith’s injury leaves opportunity for the rest of Milwaukee’s relievers. Jeremy Jeffress will get a chance to prove he can handle the closer’s role on his own and can handle the ninth inning against hitters from both sides of the plate. And Smith’s trip to the disabled list will open a spot for one of the many relievers fighting for a spot in the back of Milwaukee’s bullpen — the likes of Chris Capuano, Blaine Boyer, Sean Nolin, and Franklin Morales.

Given all this, it would be easy for Smith to be resentful. But what appears to be hitting him hardest about his injury is his disappointment over letting down his teammates. “I pulled hard [on the shoe] and it stayed on,” he told reporters.  “My knee just went up and popped. Everyone tells you there is nothing you can do about it, but you still feel like you are letting people down.” As much as this injury could hurt Smith’s career and future earning potential, his first thought was about his teammates, and that just makes this random, freak injury even tougher to witness.