A good game by Wandy Rodriguez was not enough to get him to a 5-0 start on the season. With the game tied 2-2 in the bottom of the 8th, the Brewers got two runs on consecutive sac flies to win 4-2.
Brewers starter Tomo Ohka helped contribute to the Astros' first run in the top of the 1st. With Craig Biggio on first, Willy Taveras tapped a bunt in front of home plate. Despite probably not having a play on Willy, Ohka tried to make the play and ended up throwing the ball way past first, allowing both runners to advance a base. Lance Berkman then grounded out to short, scoring Biggio.
Milwaukee tied the game and then took the lead on two solo homers, one by Carlos Lee in the 3rd and the other by Bill Hall in the 6th. Hall's bomb went to the deepest part of the park, landing above the tall wall just left of straightaway center. Eric Munson responded with a solo shot of his own - his first of the season - in the 7th, tying the score.
Wandy faced only one batter in the 7th - and allowed a single - before being taken out of the game. He pitched a fine game, allowing eight baserunners over 6+ with four K's. Dan Wheeler took over and finished the 7th, but Wheels ran into trouble in the 8th. He walked the leadoff hitter and then Hall doubled to left, putting two runners in scoring position with nobody out. Damian Miller hit a sacrifice fly to right, deep enough to allow Hall to advance to third. Brady Clark then hit a sac fly of his own to extend the Brewers' lead to 4-2.
Things looked promising in the 9th when a Berkman fly ball to deep left was dropped by Lee, but it didn't matter. Brewers closer Derrick Turnbow struck out Morgan Ensberg, Preston Wilson, and Jason Lane in sequence.
Ensberg, after his hot start that included seven homers in six games, is only 5x34 (.147) in the nine games since that streak ended. Houston managed only four hits all night, two of which were Bidge's. On one of those, he tried to stretch a 1-out double to right into a triple, but he didn't see third base coach Doug Mansolino's stop sign as he approached second. The throw beat him to the bag and he was tagged as he slid in.
Fernando Nieve goes against ace Ben Sheets tomorrow night at 7:05pm CDT.
