[ArquimedezPozo]

Brewers Continue Hot June, Douse Firebirds Again To Complete Sweep

You can’t call Milwaukee a contender just yet, but it’s been quite a turnaround since the end of May for the Brew Crew. After play on May 31, Milwaukee was last in the D4 West, seven games back at 22-24. But after a 16-8 June so far - including a sweep of first place Phoenix - Milwaukee is now just three games back, tied with St. Louis at 38-32 and behind Phoenix and San Antonio with matching 41-29 records.

Roberto Cabrera, part of Phoenix’s strong first-half rotation, got the nod for the Birds tonight, while the Brewers sent Italian Georgs Occhena to the hill to try and close out the series. After a quick first in which Occhena allowed a single but induced a double play, Milwaukee got something going against Cabrera. A John Davis walk was followed by a sharp single though the 2B hole, and Davis scooted to third, from where he scored two batters later on a single from Jake Stansell.

Occhena escaped a jam in the second, getting a fly out and a fielders choice to end a bases loaded threat, and Milwaukee passed quietly against Cabrera in the bottom half. But in the bottom of the third, the Brewers made it 2-0 on a double by Bret Roberts, a single by Davis, and a sac fly by Palomino to make it 2-0.

Phoenix finally got up off the mat in the 4th, though, as 3B Dave Reyes legged out an infield hit and was rewarded when Phoenix’s best hitter, SS Alfredo Vega, launched his ninth homer, a 389 footer to right center that knotted the game at 2.

It stayed right there through the rest of the fourth, and through the fifth. But Phoenix struck again off Occhena in the 6th, as Andy Pearson led off with a solo shot that just cleared the fence in RF to give Phoenix the lead, and a shot at avoiding a sweep.

Milwaukee stifled those dreams fast, with a two run bottom of the inning. Palomino got this one going, working a nine-pitch walk and going to second on Jason Lee’s single. Palomino’s night came to an end there, replaced by pinch runner Nick Smith, who immediately took third on a sacrifice fly before the bases were loaded on a walk. Ken Green delivered the big blow, then, scorching a line drive past a diving Matt West at first and into right field for a hard single. Though it got to Alex Rivera quickly, Smith had already scored, and the RF’s throw was off line allowing Lee to cruise in for the go-ahead.

The eighth gave Milwaukee even more breathing room, as two walks set up a grounder which gave Milwaukee runners at second and third with two outs. LF Bert Roberts knocked his third hit of the night on the first pitch he saw from reliever Chris Mayles, scoring both runners to make it 6-3.

Phoenix gave the Brewers a scare in the ninth, with a leadoff Matt West homer, a two out double by pinch hitter Nate Wilson, and a walk that put the winning run at the plate in the person of Dave Reyes. Reyes, who had just arrived in Phoenix after being waived by Montreal earlier in the month, had already collected two hits for Phoenix on the game. He wouldn’t get a third, though, as he made weak contact with a sinker on a full count, rolling it to first, where Noah Simpson gloved it. He fed it to pitcher Nate Eliopoulos, and that was it - Milwaukee had swept the Firebirds, inching ever closer to the top of the standings.