One Down, Three to Go

The Brewers pulled off a tough win last night at Sun Life Stadium against Ricky Nolasco and the Marlins. I was on the road in Wisconsin at the time and when I finally found decent reception of the game on the radio I heard that Yuniesky Betancourt was leading off the ninth inning while the Brewers trailed by one. When he reached base I thought, hey, maybe the bottom of the order might do something here. Through the still choppy signal, I barely made out that Ryan Braun had stepped to the plate as a pinch hitter, and I remembered that he wasn't in the lineup yesterday to give his shoulder some extra rest. My radio signal became stronger just in time, allowing me to enjoy Bob Ueker's signature "get up, get up, get outta here, gone!" as Braun quickly crushed what turned out to be a game-winning two-run home run. My wife and I shared a high five as we couldn't quite believe that Braunie came off the bench and again stepped up in the clutch.

John Axford hurriedly warmed up and entered the bottom of the ninth seeking his fourteenth save of the year. He certainly made it interesting, loading the bases on three walks (one intentional to Mike Stanton) before striking out Brett Hayes to end the game.


A back and forth, come from behind victory won in the ninth frame could be just what the Brewers need to kick their road woes. They're off to a good start in their four game series against the Marlins, but the next three won't be easy. The Marlins have been playing well this year, led by their pitching and young talent, and they enter tonight's game with a record of 31-24, good for second place in the NL East, two games back from the Phillies. They haven't played especially well at home (14-13), but they still hold the advantage. After winning game one, the Brewers only need to win one more to finish their road trip 3-4, not bad for a team sporting a 10-19 road record. One down, three to go. I like their odds of at least splitting the series, and anything on top of that would be gravy.