Despite falling behind 5-2, the Brewers rallied to beat the Cardinals 9-6 after big homers from Prince Fielder and Yuniesky Betancourt in the sixth.
Brewers starter Zack Greinke wasn’t good by any means. He allowed six runs in six innings, walking two and striking out six while allowing one homer. The big blow for the Cardinals came courtesy of a David Freese three run homer that made the game 5-2 in the fourth inning. Luckily for Greinke, the Brewers offense would step up and save him.
Milwaukee got on the board in the first inning, after a long two run homer by Ryan Braun. They’d stay scoreless until the fifth, when Braun hit a ground rule double to right to bring in a pair and make it a 5-4 game. Next up was Fielder, who obliterated a Jaime Garcia pitch over the right cetner field wall to give Milwaukee a 6-5 lead. That would be all for Garcia, and Octavio Dotel was brought in. Dotel would allow Rickie Weeks to reach, and then he allowed a two run homer to Betancourt, making it an 8-5 game. Each team would get a run in the seventh, making the final 9-6. Garcia fell apart in the fifth, facing four batters and allowing them all to score. For the game overall, he’d allow six runs in four innings, walking three and striking three batters out, and allowing a pair of balls to leave the park.
Offensively, the core of the Brewers order delievered again. Jerry Hairston Jr was moved up to second in the order, and reached base three times, scoring two runs. Braun drove in four on his homer and double. And then there was Fielder, who was plunked, walked, and hit his two run homer for the game. Over the course of the game, Milwaukee’s offense had eight extra base hits and went 4/11 with runners in scoring position.
It wasn’t a bad offensive performance from the Cardinals, but it wasn’t good enough. Rafael Furcal, Lance Berkman and Matt Holliday all had two hit games, while Freese drove in three runs. And they got “clutch” hits too, going 3/9 with runners in scoring position. But only two of their nine hits went for extra bases, and that would end up being the difference compared to the Brewers power outburst.
Game two is tomorrow in Milwaukee, and it’ll be Shaun Marcum going for the Brewers against Edwin Jackson of the Cardinals. First pitch is at 8:05 PM on TBS….more Brewers in prime time is a good thing
