Brew defeat Cards in extras

From Tuesday, August 9th, 2011
Brewers 5, Cardinals 3
W: Hawkins (1-0) L: Dotel (2-2) SV: Axford (33)

Casey McGehee and the Brewers defeated the Cardinals in extra innings on the road. If that is not a defining victory I do not know what is.

Don't mind the unfriendly fans and the unpredictable manager who could beam your best player on a whim. The Brewers are not suppose to win the close games on the road, at least that is what the "experts" have claimed. Milwaukee is not capable of beating a high-powered team such as the Cardinals in extra innings in a hostile environment. Yet somehow they band together and are committed to win. It does not matter if it is at Miller Park or away, it does not matter who they are playing, they will find a way to come out on top despite the odds. And that is exactly what they did.

It begins with the starting pitching. Shaun Marcum was not at his best, but that was due to a rolled ankle he sustained while on the base paths. He was also seen clutching his right hamstring after throwing a pitch. The fact that he only allowed three earned runs on eight hits in six innings is a true testament to his strength and determination to do everything he can for this ball club. Considering his mid-game injuries Marcum pitched good, unfortunately it was not good enough to garner the win.

The Brewers scored first with two runs in the second inning. It seems to be a catchy trend with this club, attacking the score board before the opposing team can. It is no wonder they have won their last 13 out of 14 games. With one out, Jonathan Lucroy singled on a line drive to left field. Shaun Marcum moved him over to second on a sacrifice bunt and Corey Hart finished the job with a towering two-run homer to center field. Once again the bottom of the order does their part and the lead off man finishes the job. That is big part of winning ball games this time of year.

Milwaukee added another run in the sixth when Lucroy singled home Felipe Lopez. The Brewers had a two-run lead but unfortunately it did not last long.

The Cardinals came roaring back in the bottom half of the sixth when David Freese scored Matt Holliday with a single. Gerald Laird then tied the game with a single of his own that plated Freese.

Both teams had their chance in the ninth inning to end the game, but good pitching and defense ended any possibility of that.

The Brewers did not waste much time in extras to get things going. Nyjer Morgan started the sequence with a single. After Ryan Braun was called out on a very questionable strike three, Prince Fielder got a base hit to give McGehee runners at the corners. The stage was set and Milwaukee had the right man up at the plate. Even when Casey was struggling, he still managed to finish games off. McGehee crushed a double right over the top of Lance Berkman's head in right field. Nyjer Morgan scored easily as Fielder slid his way into third. Yuniesky Betancourt added an insurance run with a sacrifice fly to deep center that had more than enough to get Prince home.

John Axford came in for the save and got Matt Holliday to fly out right away. Lance Berkman smacked a double to center, which gave the St. Louis fans hope that there might be a comeback in the works. The Axe-Man shutdown any chance of that with back-to-back ground outs to end the game for his 30th consecutive save.