Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Brew Crew Rides Big Frame To 11-4 Win

Hey, the Bucs have won one in a row against the Brew Crew; let's see if Ohlie can keep the roll going before the aftershock of both last night's win and this afternoon's earthquake hits.

Corey Hart chased the butterflies quickly by banging a ball through the left side for a knock. A pair of routine outs later, Ohlendorf walked Prince Fielder on a 3-2 pitch after just missing the K with a 1-2 slider. Casey McGehee took Xavier Paul to the wall, but it was a loud third out. Ohlie was a little wild, but was throwing in the low nineties, a good sign.

Marco Estrada milked a pair of softly hit outs to start the frame before McCutch roped a heater into center. Dewey bounced a curve to second, and it was zeroes after an inning.

That didn't last long. we'll spare you the details, but a couple of very soft singles, a couple of hard ones, a thrown away bunt by Dewey, a double, a homer and a struggling pitcher who was frustrated and out of gas by mid-inning, tossing heaters down the pipe, led to an ugly frame of baseball. And it was right about time the aftershock hit town, holy omen!

Apparently Clint Hurdle thought Ohlie needed the work. Boy, he got it. Seven runs - three were unearned - came home on seven hits and an error on 32 pitches, all in one inning. To rub salt in the wound, Ryan Braun stole second up 5-0 with two outs. We can't imagine why guys throw inside to him, though admittedly his job isn't to pity the pitcher. Oh well, D-Mac's warming up; looks like he'll get his start tonight, albeit a couple of innings late.

The Bucs went down cleanly, and Ohlie climbed back on the hill for another crack at the Brew Crew.  He did much better this time around; Ross the Boss even picked up a pair of K's. The Bucs began their chip away job. Ronny Cedeno led off with a single, was bunted to second, moved to third on a ground out and came home on Paul's two-out knock. Now it's 7-1 Milwaukee after three.

Ohlie seems to have trouble during the even-numbered innings. Nyjer Morgan singled and Braun doubled to open the fourth. Fielder was intentionally walked to load the sacks. But he worked outta that one, getting a short fly and a 4-6-3 DP. The Pirates weren't so dramatic and went down 1-2-3.

The Brewers mustered a single off Ohlendorf in the fifth; he's gone three scoreless innings while getting his work in and keeping the pen from eating too many innings tonight. The Bucs put another on the board when Harrison clubbed his first MLB dinger over the left field wall on a 3-2 fastball. JT singled and stole second with two away, but this time Paul couldn't deliver, and the score was 7-2 after five.

D-Mac took the hill finally. Ohlie went five, giving up seven runs (four earned) on eleven hits with two walks and four K's, tossing 86 pitches. McCutchen gave up a five pitch walk to Braun with an out, and Fielder doubled him in, moving to third on a wild pitch. D-Mac tightened up and kept him there. Garrett Jones popped a two-out triple in the Bucco half, but like Prince, that's all the further he went. After six, it was 8-2 Brew Crew.

The Brewers got a single off D-Mac in the seventh; the Bucs got a knock off Estrada. Chris Resop got the call for the eighth. A lead off single followed by a walk followed by a wild pitch led to another Prince Fielder intentional pass. He wriggled out with minimal damage, giving up just one run on a sac fly.

The Bucs put up a pair off LaTroy Hawkins. Paul led off with a double, and two outs later The Pittsburgh Kid singled him home. Jones followed with a triple, and it was 9-4 after eight.

The ninth wasn't any kinder to CR. With an out, Mark Kotsay and Hart singled. Nymo doubled in one run, and a sac fly brought home another to make it 11-4.

Kameron Loe came on to sweep up the crumbs. The Bucs went down meekly - a soft single followed by a DP and K. Say goodnight.

It's tough to judge Ohlie's performance; his one horrible frame was abetted by a couple of soft lobs and an error. They really didn't center the ball until his pitch count soared.  At any rate, he and Brad Lincoln should see another handful of starts to wet their toes again at the MLB level, and then we'll have a better idea.

Shaun Marcum faces a yet unnamed Bucco hurler in the get-away game; looks like Aaron Thompson will get the call.

No comments: