Win: Yovani Gallardo (16-10)
Loss: Vance Worley (11-2)
Save: John Axford (42)
HR: Victorino (16), Howard (33)
MVP: Nyjer Morgan (.188); Honorary: Yovani Gallardo
LVP: Taylor Green (-.117)
Fangraphs Win Expectancy Graph
Box Score
When Taylor Green is your LVP, you know you had a good day!
No, but seriously, this was a big win for the Brewers coming off a five-game losing streak. It will help keep their confidence up and kept them from being swept in four games by the Phillies.
Yovani Gallardo had as good of a game as you could have asked for. He went out and gave Milwaukee seven innings and allowed just four baserunners on three hits and a walk. He also struck out twelve Phillies. The negative was that two of the three hits were home runs, both solo shots in the sixth inning, but that was still one hell of a game thrown by Yo.
It was almost for naught, though, as the Brewers bats struggled against Vance Worley. They only managed one run in the first six innings, falling behind 2-1. But in the seventh inning, after Jonathan Lucroy struck out and George Kottaras flied out, Corey Hart doubled. And then Nyjer Morgan shot a double into right field, scoring Hart. Finally, Ryan Braun singled to drive in Morgan and giving the Brewers a 3-2 lead.
Francisco Rodriguez and John Axford didn't make the late innings easy as they each allowed two baserunners, but they managed to shut out the Phillies bats and secure the game for Milwaukee.
Rickie Weeks walked, was hit by a pitch, and scored a run in his first game back.
The Cardinals won today, too, but their elimination number still moves down to 10. Five Brewers wins and five Cardinals losses will do the job.
The Brewers are in a very strong spot right now. They are still six games ahead and have a couple days off in the next few days with a two game series against Colorado sandwiched in. Then they have series against the Reds, the Cubs, the Marlins, and the Pirates. That's hardly a gauntlet. The Cards may still have the Astros, Cubs, Mets and Pirates but they also have a four game series against Philadelphia coming up.