The Brewers begin the month of June with a 3-game series in Denver against the Detroit Falcons, who enter the game in a virtual tie for 4th place with the Brewers.
In game 1 the Brewers starting rotation woes continue when Erik Sloan allowed 7 runs on 8 hits in just 5 2/3rds innings pitched and the Falcons won 7-4. Sloan falls to 5-4 with a 4.22 ERA. In spite of his team being on the losing side, Brewers second baseman Jonathan Koch (.337/.348/.497) was named the Player of the Game with his 2 for 4, 3 RBI game. Koch hit his 10th double and 5th HR in the loss. Mike Foster (.257/.303/.326) also had a good game at the plate, collecting 3 hits in 4 at-bats.
With the Brewers desperately needing a good performance from a member of the starting rotation, their 25-year old captain, Matt Helm, gave them just that. Helm got the complete game victory, allowing 2 runs, only 1 of them earned (and that one a 9th inning solo HR), on only 4 hits, striking out 3 and walking just 1. Helm improves to 3-2 with a 3.79 ERA as the Brewers win 6-2. Backup catcher Spencer Wilson (.268/.339/.464) had a big game at the plate, going 3 for 3 with 1 run scored, 1 RBI, and a walk. Pat Rondeau (.406/.419/.490) not only went 2 for 4 with a run scored in the game, but for the second day in a row he recorded an outfield assist. Rondeau now has 5 outfield assists on the season.
Perhaps inspired by the Helm performance, Cheol-han Lee gave the home team their second fine start in a row. Lee held the Falcons to 2 runs on 7 hits over 8 innings pitched, striking out 7 and walking just 1. (Cheol-han also went 2 for 2 at the plate.) The Brewers offense ratcheted things up another notch in this rubber match, scoring 9 runs, and Lee got the win to improve to 6-4 with a 3.12 ERA. Bobby Erbakan (.298/.353/.463) was 2 for 4 in the game, hitting his 7th double and 3rd HR, driving in 3 runs. Erbakan was just one of four Brewers to hit a bomb in this one, a rare event indeed for the team that came into the game in last place in HR's in the MGL. (They are now tied for 9th.) Jonathan Koch (.339/.349/.508) continued his great season, going 2 for 4 and hitting HR #6. John Flores (.176/.300/.412), brought up from AAA before the game to provide some right handed power did just that in the 8th inning, when after going 0 for his first 3 AB's, he slammed a 2-run HR into the left field seats. A few batters later, veteran Billy Turner came to the plate as a pinch-hitter, specifically because of his ability to hit the ball over the fence, and boy did he do that- when he crushed a ball 414 feet also into the left field stands for a 2-run shot.
The Brewers get a series victory to start the month of June.