http://www.espnmilwaukee.com/common/more.php?m=49&post_id=7701
I guess it’s only fitting that Friday the 13th provided us with one of the most wild and unpredictable games of the Brewers season.
With two outs and the bases loaded in the eighth, Cody Ransom drove a 2-2 pitch from Tony Watson well over the wall in left center for a go-ahead grand slam that gave Milwaukee a 10-6 lead.
John Axford surrendered a solo homer to Andrew McCutchen in the ninth, but held on to give the Brewers a huge 10-7 victory against the first place Pirates.
“It’s nice to start off this way,” manager Ron Roenicke said. “Good offense and we had some good bullpen today.”
Two of the National League’s best pitchers were on the mound in Zach Greinke and James McDonald, but you wouldn’t have known it from their performances Friday night.
Greinke was pinch-hit for after five and McDonald was pulled after just 4.2 innings clinging to a 6-4 lead. McDonald, who entered the game with a tidy 2.37 ERA, allowed four earned on eight hits and walked five.
Greinke surrendered five earned runs on seven hits during his third consecutive start for Milwaukee, including two long home runs. Red Faber was the last pitcher to take the hill in three straight games back in 1917 as a member of the White Sox.
“I didn’t pitch perfect by any means,” Greinke said. “They capitalized on all their opportunities. I wish the three games would have went better than they did on my part, but we won two out of three, so I guess you can’t be too upset over that.”
Despite all of the trade rumors that have surrounded the former Cy Young winner, he insisted it hasn’t bothered him on the rubber.
Something that wasn’t out of the ordinary was Ryan Braun putting on yet another show. The reigning National League Most Valuable Player hit the first of his two homers on the night in the bottom of the first, a solo shot to right center to put the Crew in front, 1-0.
Braun was 4-4 with two home runs, three RBI, one walk, one steal and three runs scored. His 26 long-balls lead the NL and he’s just one RBI shy of the league lead with 64.
“I feel good, I’m seeing the ball well,” Braun said. “I feel like my swing is in a good place.”
Three batters later, Rickie Weeks ripped a sharp liner down the left field line to scoreAramis Ramirez from second. Pittsburgh left fielder Drew Sutton bobbled the ball twice trying to scoop it up after it caromed off the side wall just past the tarp, allowing Corey Hart to score from first to put Milwaukee in front 3-0.
After allowing an unearned run in the third, Greinke ran into huge problems in the fourth.
Rod Barajas and Clint Barmes each had broken-bat, bloop singles over the head of a Brewers infielder. Sutton followed with yet another flair, this time over the head of Ramirez at third to bring in a run.
Neil Walker then extended his hitting streak to 13 games when he clobbered a hanging curveball from Greinke and sent it over the wall in center, giving Pittsburgh a 5-3 lead.
“It’s not like (Pittsburgh) got two good base hits and then they hit a home run,” Roenicke said. “(Greinke) shouldn’t have even been facing Walker if everything was right. Those guys should have been out, and that changes things.”
Milwaukee looked for their best player to respond and he didn’t disappoint.
In the bottom of the fourth, Braun stepped in with two outs and runners at the corners. He promptly lined one right back up the middle that brought Maldonado home to inch his team closer.
Trailing 6-5 in the sixth, Braun once again came through in a big way. The red-hot left fielder went yard for the second time, his fourth multi-homer game of the season and 16th of his career to tie it up at six. Both of his bombs Friday night were to the opposite field.
“I think when I’m going my best, I’m hitting the ball the other way,” Braun said. “More than anything, I try to hit it where it’s pitched. If it’s inside, try to pull it, if it’s outside, try to hit it that way.”
The game remained tied in the eighth when Braun and Ramirez came through with base hits off Watson. Corey Hart struck out, but the runners advanced to second and third on a double steal.
The Pirates elected to intentionally walk Weeks, despite his .200 batting average, to load the bases for unlikely hero Cody Ransom’s mammoth grand slam over the Brewers bullpen in left center.
“(I was looking for) just something to drive,” Ransom said. “We just needed a single there to get a run, so I was just looking for a pitch to hit.”
Maldonado also had four hits, going 4 for 5 with a run scored. Hart went 3 for 5 with three singles.
Francisco Rodriguez picked up the win and improved to 2-4 on the year.
The Brewers got a much needed victory to start their most important stretch of the year to this point. After these three games with first place Pittsburgh, Milwaukee will take on St. Louis and Cincinnati, all teams who are in front of them in the Central. Milwaukee currently sits seven games back in the division.
“We recognize the importance and significance of these games,” Braun said. “There’s no reason to pretend like they’re less important than they are. We understand that these next nine games will dictate which way the rest of our season goes.
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