W: Randy Wolf (10-8)
L: Ted Lilly (7-13)
S: John Axford (35)
HR: Ryan Braun (23), Jonathan Lucroy (9), Corey Hart (18)
MVP: Randy Wolf (+.597)
LVP: Yuniesky Betancourt (-.087)
Win Expectancy Graph and Star of the Game Voting
Tonight's headline is on loan from the Department of Unlikely Phrases.
The Brewer defense has been much maligned this season but they were the story tonight, turning a triple play, four double plays and picking up an outfield assist at home. The triple play went 4-6-3-2 with Josh Wilson fielding a grounder and scooping it with his glove to Yuniesky Betancourt at short. He threw to Fielder at first, who recorded the second out and threw home to catch Matt Kemp trying to score. It was the first Brewer triple play since 2009.
Jerry Hairston Jr started in center field tonight and recorded two outfield assists despite the fact that he hadn't had one since 2009.
The excellent defense covered up a somewhat shaky performance for Randy Wolf, who pitched eight shutout innings despite allowing six hits and a season-high five walks. The Brewers are 10-5 in his starts since May 22.
Through six innings the Brewers only had one hit against Ted Lilly, but it was a big one: Ryan Braun's solo home run gave the Brewers a 1-0 lead. Braun also had the second Brewer hit in the seventh, stole second, advanced to third on a groundout but was stranded at first when Betancourt and Wilson couldn't get the ball out of the infield. When the Dodgers lifted Lilly from the game, the first batter to face Scott Elbert (Jonathan Lucroy) homered to extend the lead to two. Two batters later Corey Hart followed suit.
John Axford pitched a scoreless ninth to record his franchise-record 32nd consecutive save.