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May 6, 2011 may have been the low point of last season. The Brewers lost 6-0 to the Cardinals to fall to 13-19, 5.5 games back and in fifth place in the NL Central. It was their seventh consecutive loss, their longest streak of the season.
The next day, however, things got significantly better. Yovani Gallardo took the mound for the Brewers against St. Louis and retired the side in order in the first, second, third and fourth. A pair of walks broke up his perfect game bid in the fifth, but he carried a no-hitter through seven innings before giving up a single to Daniel Descalso to lead off the eighth. Gallardo finished the inning and John Axford recorded the final three outs without incident in the ninth to close out a 4-0, one-hitter Brewer win.
The game was the 15th one-hitter in Brewer franchise history, and the first since CC Sabathia's controversial game in 2008. There has still only been one no-hitter in franchise history, Juan Nieves' gem in 1987.
With help from the B-Ref Play Index, happy birthday today to:
- 2003 Brewer Mark Smith, who turns 42.
- Seattle Pilot Steve Whitaker, who turns 69.
Today is also the fourth anniversary of Carlos Gomez's 2008 cycle as a member of the Twins in their 13-1 rout of the White Sox. We covered that event in this space last year.