Thursday, June 12, 2008
Brewfarts 9
Astros 6
W: Sheets (7-1) | L: Moehler (3-3)
Krysten Oliphant reporting
AP via Yahoo
With 8 HRs last night, the Prostate Cancer Foundation may have wished they scheduled that game for their Home Run Challenge to raise money for prostate cancer research, instead of today’s match-up of Ben Sheets vs. Brian Moehler. No need to worry. 7 HRs again today, 3 of which came off Brewers’ bats in the 5-run 2nd inning. What turned out to be a great day for charity buried the boys deeper into the funk with a 5-series losing streak as they dropped the rubber game 9-6.
Moehler dusted the top of the Brewers’ order in the first and Miggy popped a 2-out solo shibby in what most hoped was going to be a pitcher’s battle. But the top of the 2nd was a nightmare for Moehler. Fielder homered to lead it off, then Branyan hit a whale of a fly ball to deep left center that Mach Bourn made a great timed leap to get. Cameron blasted Moehler’s first pitch deep to right to take the lead, then after a Bill Hall fly out, Mike Rivera singled to bring up Sheets. Moehler nibbled and nibbled Angel’s tight strike zone (I feel dirty just writing that) until Sheets was standing on 1st. Corey “muthafuckin'” Hart then plastered one deep into the right center field bullpen for a 5-1 lead.
The offense got it close, 1 run each in the 2nd and 3rd, until the 5th when the Brewers loaded ’em up on 3 straight singles with 1 out. Branyan hit a fly ball to center, not too deep for Bourn who fired in to 3rd, that allowed Counsell to score. Some in the GZ felt had the throw been cut off, Counsell could have been nailed at home. Next batter Cameron walks, then Coop had seen enough. Geary comes in to stop the bleeding and plunks Hall to bring in another run to make it 7-3.
Geary, Byrdak and Villarreal tossed the next 3 perfect as the bats tried to mount a comeback. The efforts paid off with a pinch-hit, 2-run bomb by Loretta in the bottom of the 8th to get it to within 2 again. But a rusty Valverde came in for the 9th and gave up his own pinch-hit solo shot to Gabe Kapler then a double and an RBI single to give back the deficit.
A promising start to the bottom of the 9th with singles by Erstad and Matsui to bring up the meat of the order, but weak grounders by all three plated a meaningless run en route to ending it.
7HRs @ $17,000/ea. = $119,000.
4-11 over 15 + 33-34 = Suck.
Evil Empire show starts tomorrow. Joba @ Shawn @ 7:05 EDT