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W: Nelson, 2-2
L: Machi, 6-1
HR: Gomez (16), Parra (7)
The Brewers really, really needed this one, and they got it.
Milwaukee jumped out to an early 3-0 lead but Jimmy Nelson gave it up with 2 quick baserunners and a home run to Pablo Sandoval in the bottom of the 6th. With 2 outs in the bottom of the 7th, Gerardo Parra connected on on a slider and hit it out to right field for his first hit as a Milwaukee Brewer, and it couldn't have come at a better time.
The Brewers were shut down early by Tim Lincecum, but Jimmy Nelson (who had 0 hits in his minor league career) knocked a single to extend the inning for Carlos Gomez. Gomez hopefully broke out of his rough road trip with a home run that just cleared the left field wall. Then in the 5th, Rickie Weeks led off with a double but was stuck there after a couple of strikeouts to Segura and Nelson. With Gomez at bat and 2 out, Lincecum threw a pitch away and Weeks headed to 3rd base. Gomez then laid down a perfect bunt that scored Weeks and got himself to first base.
Nelson pitched 7 innings and allowed 3 runs, and 1 walk, with 5 strikeouts. He really only ran into trouble in the 6th. Joe Panik singled to lead off the inning, Brandon Belt followed with a double, and then Pablo Sandoval hit a deep home run to right center. Outside of that 3-batter sequence, Nelson was overpowering in a pretty encouraging outing.
After Parra gave the Brewers the lead back in the bottom of the 7th, the Brewers faced another shaky 8th inning with a lead. Will Smith got Brandon Belt to pop out but then walked Pablo Sandoval and was yanked in favor of Jeremy Jeffress. In a situation eerily similar to Sunday's meltdown, Jeffress couldn't find the zone with his fastball and walked Michael Morse to put 2 on with 1 out. Things shifted when the next batter, Brandon Crawford, hit a foul ball down the left field line that was snagged by Parra with a fantastic sliding catch. Jeffress then had to face pinch-hitter Buster Posey, who did not start tonight. He put a curve ball in the zone for strike one, then worked him with a few fastballs, and finally got him to swing through another curve for strike 3.
The 9th was a bit less stressful but not without drama. K-Rod got the 8 and 9 hitters out but then walked the leadoff man, Hunter Pence. With 2 outs, Panik hit a groundball toward 2nd that Rickie Weeks had to dodge Pence in order to field. He fired to first where Panik was called safe. After a lengthy review, the umpire crew received word that Panik was actually out at first and the game was over.