The Scouting Report:
Game 1:
Really fine start from
Jim Atwell in this one, as he gave up just 1 run on 5 hits in his 8 innings pitched, striking out 8 batters and walking 2. The only run he allowed was on a Jaime Benjamin solo homer, so nothing to be embarrassed about there.
Antonio Acuna is making a strong case for more starting time in the outfield and he went 2 for 4 with a run scored and 2 driven in while hitting his 4th home run of the season.
Bobby Erbakan was 2 for 5 and scored a pair of runs while also hitting his 6th double of 1979.
Game 2:
The Denver bullpen stole a win from
Steve Green, who gave up 2 runs on 7 hits over his 7 innings pitched.
Rand Pinti vultured a win he didn't deserve but the guy who really messed up big time was fellow left-handed reliever
Victor Colon who gave up 4 runs on 4 hits while only recording a single out. Fortunately the bats secured the win for the Brewers and
Tim Shore pitched the 9th inning to get his 10th save of the season without a blown save.
Brett Taranto went 3 for 6 with a pair of RBI in this one and hit his 5th double.
Nick Ward got a rare start at shortstop and produced a 3 for 5, 1 run scored, 1 RBI game, hitting his 1st double and his 2nd triple, which got things started to lead off the 3 run 9th inning that put the Brewers back on top.
Game 3:
Another fine start for veteran lefty
Erik Sloan, who gave up just 1 run on 3 hits over his 8 innings pitched and
Tim Shore continued to be the rock of stability anchoring an otherwise pretty shaky bullpen and he earns his 11th save of the season.
Antonio Acuna, again, is grabbing attention with his play, and he went 2 for 3 with 3 runs scored and an RBI, hitting his 5th home run of the season and swiping his 4th bag. (With
Josh Schaeffer in the last season of his contract and not off to a great start there is talk around Denver about the possibility that the team moves him before the trading deadline- possibly for a top-notch left-handed reliever, if they can get one- so that
Acuna can be handed the full-time right field job, which he deserves at this point. It would also allow the team to bring up slugging outfielder
Eric Hammock to be the 4th outfielder, especially given how much
Hammock is tearing up AAA pitching.)
Jake DiCesare was 2 for 4 in the win and hit his 4th homer of the season, driving in a pair of runs.
Notes from around the league:
As well as the Brewers are playing, they just can't shake those surprising Detroit Falcons, who got a fine start from veteran starting pitcher Kantaro Yasui in a 1-0 win over Brooklyn. And who was on the mound for the Aces? Well, Aaron McNally naturally.
So in the MGL the Brewers and Falcons both have 28-11 records at the top of the standings with Los Angeles, at 24-15, still in 3rd place, 4 games back, and Brooklyn in 4th with a 21-17 mark, 6 1/2 games off the pace.
Over in the SJL, things stay pretty much the same with Columbus and San Antonio still in a virtual tie for 1st (26-11 and 27-12 respectively), Philadelphia and Boston tied for 3rd, each at 21-17, 5 1/2 games back.