Brewers hold off Cardinals, 3-2

WP: Junior Guerra (1-0); LP: Adam Wainwright (0-2); Save: Matt Albers (1) Home runs: Milwaukee - Hernan Perez (1); Eric Thames (5); St.L - Tommy Pham (2)

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The Milwaukee Brewers (7-6) entered today’s Facebook game with two position players on the bench not available due to nagging injuries (Lorenzo Cain, Manny Pina), leaving them with two available - only Eric Sogard and Jesus Aguilar were ready to hit. Their bullpen was depleted due to excess usage after short starts. But Junior Guerra came up from AAA and gave the Brewers a more than solid start, working into the sixth and leaving with a 3-0 lead. He was charged with a run as Dan Jennings finished the inning, but the bullpen had just enough to finish off the St. Louis Cardinals (5-7) by a score of 3-2.

Guerra ended his outing with 5 ¹⁄₃ innings, four hits allowed, one earned run, two walks, and four strikeouts.

Off the top, it is important to note that THE BREWERS DID NOT COMMIT AN ERROR! Yay.

The win gave the Brewers a series win with two out of three from the Cardinals, and both teams were thankful for a sunny seventy degree day after the last two wintry affairs.

Adam Wainwright wasn’t quite as dominant against the Brewers today as he usually is. But of course, he was good enough. He allowed at least one hit in every inning, and solo homers in the second from Hernan Perez and third from Mr. April, Eric Thames (AprilThames’ fifth of the season) gave the Brewers a 2-0 lead.

The Brewers’ only multi-hit inning against Wainwright produced the third run in the top of the fifth. Orlando Arcia singled and Jett Bandy followed with a groundball double down the thirdbase line. After a Guerra strikeout, Jonathan Villar brought Arcia home with a soft roller to first. Wainwright ended with seven innings, eight hits allowed, three earned, with no walks and three strikeouts.

Dan Jennings relieved Guerra in the bottom of the sixth after Greg Garcia’s leadoff double and a deep fly ball to center from Tommy Pham, and Matt Carpenter’s slow grounder to first scored Garcia. Jennings would later notch his first major league hit with two down in the top of the seventh by slicing a double down the left field line (it was probably a single and error, but what the heck). Wainwright wild-pitched him to third but Villar check-swing tapped a ball about 10 feet and was thrown out at first to end the inning. Jennings had a perfect seventh, striking out Harrison Bader to end the inning.

Guerra’s ability to pitch into the sixth and Jennings going an inning and two thirds allowed the Brewers to go until the bottom of the eighth before using Josh Hader. Haderade was tasty in the inning with a 1-2-3 inning, #s 1 and 3 being strikeouts.

Of course, the ninth couldn’t be easy. Hader’s first pitch to Tommy Pham was hit out of the park (after review) to left center to bring the game to 3-2. After Hader struck out Matt Carpenter, Matt Albers came on and gave up consecutive singles to Marcell Ozuna and Jose Martinez to put runners at first and second. Kolten Wong fouled out down the rightfield line to Eric Sogard, and Dexter Fowler pinch-hit for Bader.

A ninth inning finally ended the Brewers way when Fowler struck out after a long battle on a 2-2 fastball. The Brewers took another series in St. Louis, continuing last year’s trend.

Thursday is an off day for the Brewers, and since every game is such a tense, grinding affair, the players (and BCB readers) welcome a chance to breath. Friday night finds the Brewers in New York to take on the Mets and their fine pitching staff. Friday’s scheduled starting pitchers are Zach Davies (0-1, 5.40) for Milwaukee and Steven Matz (0-1, 3.00) for the Mets. Game time is 6:30 CDT.