Boxscore

The Brewers won again, this time beating the Braves. I could have referenced history and said that Seattle beat Milwaukee, but that would be nothing but mere confusion to show you I could look up stuff on Wikipedia.

Anyway, Dave Bush’s stint in the minors seems to have paid off, as he had his second great start in a row. This time he pitched 7 innings, allowing only 1 run. And, hey! His ERA’s below 5 again. I’m sure Bronson Arroyo is burning with jealousy.

The Brewers picked up another game on the first-place Cubs and now sit in third place, 5 games back. Since May 20, Milwaukee has gone 23-10.

Boxscore

Ben Sheets apparently wants to pitch in the All Star Game, if his performance over the last 5 starts is any indication. He’s won all 5, to bring his record up to 9-1.

I’m not sure who will get the starting nod for the game that means something, even now, but it’s pretty cool that the NL Central has so many strong competitors for the spot. The Reds Edinson Volquez leads the charge, but Ryan Dempster, Ben Sheets, and Kyle Lohse are all in the mix.

But back to Sheets. He dominated the Braves, striking out 7 and allowing only 4 hits over his complete game. Heck, he only had 3 balls on one hitter, so he was obviously dealing.

The Brewers offense was provided by someone other than Russell Branyan, who got the night off. I imagine swatting homers does take its toll on the body. I know that my handful of swings in the batting cages over the weekend made me sorer than expected. Mike Cameron knocked in 2 with his 12th home run, and Rickie Weeks showed he’s healthy by stealing what I believe is his first base since returning from the DL.

Milwaukee picked up a half-game on the idle Cubs and now sit 6 games back.

This week on the podcast we run down some of the crazy injuries plaguing the NLC right now:

• The Cubs’ Carlos Zambrano is on the DL for the first time, like, ever
• The Reds can’t keep a shortstop to saves their lives
• The Cardinals might get mentioned in there somewhere
• The injury to Adam Dunn’s pride to find out that the Blue Jays’ GM isn’t attracted to him

The Crack Technical Staff works on his Ed McMahon impression, and you can actually hear me sipping my glass of pinot grigio. Truly, an episode not to be missed.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

I sat down to write some quick game wraps today, only to find the same exact results as for the last two days. Everybody lost except the Brewers. C’mon, guys, some variety, please!

Of course, I expect losses from the Reds. They have by far the most promising up and coming players, but that is negated by one of the worst managers in the Majors. Which is why they’re in last place.

Houston’s been in a terrible funk lately, and Pittsburgh and the White Sox apparently substituted their baseball players for football players as both teams scored touchdowns in the second inning.

The Cardinals and the Cubs both lost again, making it look like those premiere offensive players they both recently lost were important to their success, after all. I gotta say, I believe it with Albert Pujols, but I’m surprised that Alfonso Soriano’s absence has so affected the Cubs. Of course, this is Chicago’s first rough spell all season, so one could say they were due, injuries or not.

That brings us to the Brewers, who now sit in 3rd place, just 5.5 games back. Can they keep their winning going? I don’t know, but I sure bet the Reds can continue their losing. They travel to New York to “play” the Yankees today.

If only there were something to distract me from the play on the field, perhaps a General Manager ranting about the worthlessness of a player who’s better than any other player on his team. And preferably, that ire could be directed towards an NL Central player like Adam Dunn. Nah, GMs are professionals. Even Jim Bowden wouldn’t do that.

Boxscore

For the second night in a row, the Brewers were the only team in the NL Central to win. I like that strategy for gaining on the teams ahead of you. I wonder why more teams don’t employ it.

Ben Sheets was the pitcher of record for Milwaukee, going 6 innings and allowing 2 runs. It took him 108 pitches to get that far, though, thanks in part to 4 walks. The walks might be a trouble sign for the future, but for now, Sheets is kicking butt for the Brewers.

The homers keep flying out for the Brewers, too. Russel Branyan clubbed another one, and Mike Cameron joined in the fun. Over the last week or so, Milwaukee has been playing much more like I expected earlier this year. I’ll be watching to see if this is the real Brewers team. For the sake of all those fans who don’t want the Cubs to win, you’d better hope so.