W: Braden Looper (6-4)
L: Fernando Nieve (3-1)
S: Trevor Hoffman (18)
HR: J.J. Hardy (8), Casey McGehee (5, GS)
MVP: J.J. Hardy and Casey McGehee (both at .206)
LVP: Prince Fielder (-.094)
Win Expectancy Graph
SB Nation Coverage
Casey McGehee was the story of this game.
While the Brewers had plenty of hits and base runners through the first five innings, they'd only plated three runs.
In the top of the sixth, McGehee booted a routine pop-up, extending the inning. Of course, the next guy at bat hit one off the center field wall, scoring two runs.
However, redemption came quick for Casey, who came up in the bottom of the sixth with the bases loaded and cracked his first career grand slam to the Brewers bullpen.
Then, in the seventh inning, he got a routine grounder (though deep) from Gary Shefffield and failed to get the throw to first in time, once again allowing a run and extending the inning, which is when Ken Macha pulled a double-switch, taking him out and putting in Bill Hall.
J.J. Hardy was three hits to the cycle after his first three plate appearances. He doubled in the first, homered in the third and singled in the first. He had a hit to center in the sixth that got past Fernando Martinez that looked to be his best chance at the triple, but with the slightly injured Counsell on-base in front of him and his own not-so-fast pace, he was held to a double.
Hardy, despite going 0-for in Sunday's game, has been on base 11 times in the past four games.
The Brewers got at it early, putting more hits on the board by the end of the second inning than they did during Sunday's entire game.
It was a great game for the less prolific of Brewers hitters.
Frank Catalanotto, giving Corey Hart a day's rest in right field through six innings, was 2-2 with a HBP, Jason Kendall was 3-4 with a walk, Braden Looper had an RBI, and Bill Hall, who came in for McGehee in the seventh, was 2-2 with two RBI. All-in-all, the Brewers compiled 19 hits, their second-most this season.
Braden Looper up seven hits while walking two and striking out two. The two early runs were unearned, but he was responsible for the seventh inning run that scored on McGehee's throw. He was relieved by Todd Coffey, who notched just 1/3 of an inning.
Mitch Stetter came in and was his normal, spectacular self, stranding two more, making it 36 of 44 inherited runners stranded.
Carlos Villanueva came in in the ninth and made it interesting, giving up three runs and putting runners on first and second, necessitating Hell's Bells. Luckily, The Hoff needed just one pitch to get Brian Schneider to GIDP, ending the game.
Of course, perhaps the bigger story than McGehee is that the Brewers won a nationally televised game in more-than convincing fashion.