After 2+ seasons of pitching nearly exclusively in the ninth inning the Brewers changed things up for John Axford in a big way today, calling him into the game with two outs in the fifth inning. Axford retired Lance Berkman to end that inning, then came back out to pitch a scoreless sixth.
This was the first time since 2009 Axford was called upon to pitch the fifth inning, and just the second time in 2012 he recorded more than three outs in a game (he pitched two scoreless against the Cubs on June 7). He had pitched one inning or less in 12 straight appearances.
That's nowhere near a franchise record or Axford's personal record, though. In fact, Axford's personal high is one of the longest streaks in franchise history:
| Pitcher | Start | End | Consecutive Games 1 IP Or Less |
| Trevor Hoffman | April 27, 2009 | September 29, 2010 | 105 |
| Derrick Turnbow | May 25, 2005 | June 27, 2006 | 86 |
| Francisco Rodriguez | July 16, 2011 | Active streak | 78 |
| John Axford | September 18, 2010 | September 11, 2011 | 73 |
| Derrick Turnbow | September 29, 2006 | August 8, 2007 | 58 |