The Brewers flipped their lineup on the fly before Sunday's game. It worked to perfection.

In recent days, the coaching staff of the Milwaukee Brewers had been having conversations about possibly moving rookie Oliver Dunn to the leadoff spot in the batting order and in the process lowering Sal Frelick, who they felt has had a lot on his plate early in the season.

Around two hours before first pitch Sunday morning, first base coach Quintin Berry strolled into manager Pat Murphy’s office with a comment.

“I thought I was going to see Dunn at the top,” he said.

Murphy looked at his lineup card, which featured Frelick at the top again.

“Yeah,” Murphy said. “I’m going to do it right now.”

Murphy ran the idea by two of his staff members who help construct the lineup, associate manager Rickie Weeks and run prevention coordinator Walker McKinven. Each had no qualms with the move.

“Rickie and 'Q, have talked about it a couple days ago, too,” Murphy said. “They said it looks like it might be the best option.”

So, shortly after 11 a.m. Sunday, the move was made. Dunn bumped up to leadoff. Frelick was moved down to sixth. Jake Bauers was also moved up to cleanup spot, replacing where Dunn previously had been.

Dunn found out in the batting cage he would be hitting leadoff for the first time in his career.

“It’s fun,” he said. “Just the first AB of the game, getting in there, it was cool. Last minute, too, so it was a little bit of a surprise but I was excited about it.”

The Brewers' plan works to perfection

Murphy joked after the Brewers’ 12-4 win that they don’t tell anyone about the times they have an idea put into execution on the fly that doesn’t work. But this one sure did.

Right from the jump, Berry’s suggestion and Murphy’s decision paid dividends. After the Mariners scored a run in the top of the first, Dunn sparked the Brewers’ response. He singled off right-hander Emerson Hancock, stole second base and scored when Bauers, the newly-minted cleanup hitter, singled under right fielder Luke Raley’s diving attempt.

Then Frelick completed the puzzle with a two-out, two-run double to left that gave the Brewers a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

Each of the three batters moved around in the order finished with two hits as part of a 14-hit eruption for Milwaukee.

Dunn later legged out a triple, the first of his career, and finished 2 for 4 with two runs scored and one RBI.

Through his first seven games in the majors, Dunn is batting .318 with a .945 OPS, one homer, two steals and four RBIs while also playing solid defense at third base.

With excellent plate discipline, sound swing decisions and lots of hard contact, he’s quickly earned his skipper’s trust.

“It’s cool. I think it’s a cool vote of confidence,” Dunn said. “I liked the role because it was just get on base and let the guys bring you in. I like that situation.”

William Contreras goes deep twice

William Contreras had yet to bop one over the fence coming into Sunday, but the foundations of his game – exit velocity and great defense – were in place.

In the finale against the Mariners, it all came together.

Contreras singled through the left side in the first inning. Next time up, he rocketed a home run to left field on a rope. Then came another missile, this one off the very top of the wall in right field. To cap his day, he went deep again, this time blasting one out to center for a multi-homer day, even if the second came against a position player pitching.

His four exit velocities: 105.3 mph, 104.2 mph, 104.5 mph, 105.0 mph.

“A day like today is what I work for,” Contreras said. “Being able to get something to all three parts of the yard. That’s what I’m working on. Today shows the type of hitter I am.”

Contreras starred at the plate but Brewers starter Colin Rea also praised Contreras’ work behind it, too. Rea didn’t shake Contreras off once as he helped the right-hander navigate six innings allowing only two runs while battling a stomach virus.

“William’s a great player,” Murphy said. “He’s been unbelievable for us behind the dish. He’s swung the bat very, very well but he has chased a little and been in between a little. He wasn’t on the top of his offensive game. Today, he was special. And you can get that out of William. He’s that good.”

Colin Rea's flu game is an impressive one

Colin Rea did what Colin Rea does. He pitched to contact, covered innings, wiggled out of some jams and, ultimately, delivered a solid outing.

Rea allowed single tallies in each of the first two innings but settled down after that to give the Brewers six innings of two-run ball on seven hits and no walks with three strikeouts.

It was the 10th time out of 26 starts with the Brewers that Rea has gone at least five innings but not more than six and allowed three or fewer earned runs.

The start wasn’t one that will jump off the page at the end of the year, but it was solid and steady — both adjectives that can aptly describe what Rea provides to the Brewers rotation.

And to deliver what Rea did for the whole staff on Sunday while battling a stomach virus going into the day made his outing even more impressive.

“He’s lost a lot of fluids in every way you can,” Murphy said. “At that point he was touch-and-go  as far as  how far he could go. His velocity was down. His stuff wasn’t great. He and William worked together and did an incredible job.”

Rea’s start Sunday was the first of at least six innings since Freddy Peralta on opening day. In a starting rotation sans innings eaters, this type of outing is exactly what the Brewers need from Rea.

He delivered quality without his best stuff, too. Rea’s sinker and four-seamer were each two mph slower than average, sitting at 91 mph for most of the afternoon, while he lacked his usual strength.

Outside of the sinker, he generated only three whiffs on 30 swings but managed to stay off the barrel for the most part, allowing 14 balls hit in the air but none for homers. Rea has yet to allow a homer this year after giving up 23 in 124 ⅔ innings last season.

“Tremendous uplift to the team when we need it and he knows it,” Murphy said.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brewers' Pat Murphy changes his lineup and it works against Mariners