Boxscore

Wow! The Brewers (3-1) responded to their failure to sweep the Cubs by opening up one big, heapin’ helpin’ of whoop-ass on the Giants (1-3) today.

The Brew Crew jumped on Jonathan Sanchez (0-1) in the first by scoring 3 runs, and the rout was on. Carlos Villanueva (1-0) was the recipient of the gross run support. Salomon Torres, the relief pitcher from the Pirates who famously threatened to retire, pitched what amounted to 3 innings of mop-up duty for the Brewers to get his first save.

Milwaukee currently sits atop the National League Central, trying to be the team that gets off to the hot start. Saturday they play the Giants again, with Kevin Correia (0-0) taking on Red Hot Mama Hottest Baller contestant Manny Parra (0-0) at 12:05pm CDT.

Boxscore

As I sit here drinking some whisky and Diet Dr. Pepper (don’t laugh, it’s tasty), I realized that I haven’t performed my self-appointed task of writing the quick linescore recaps of yesterday’s NLC games. Sure, I did the Cardinals game, but there were 4 other games last night. And 2 more are already finished today! Ah, the insanity of dedicating yourself to a Sisyphean task for no discernible reason. (And if I’m not making sense now, just wait until I’ve had more whiskys and Diet Dr. Peppers by the end of this night!)

Anyway, to the game. The Cubs (1-2) garnered their first win, managing not to get swept by the Brewers (2-1) and undoubtedly saving the lives of several Cubs fans who place far too much importance in early season games.

Ryan Dempster (1-0) somehow served the role of stopper for Chicago, despite living up to his nickname in the first inning, while Kerry Wood got his first save of the season. Dave Bush (0-1) got the loss for the Brewers.

The Cubs opened a series hosting Houston, while the Brewers returned home to host the Giants.

Boxscore

The Brewers (2-0) won the second game of the season and the series against the Cubs (0-2). Dave Bush tries to finish the sweep against Ryan Dempster.

Boxscore

While the Diamondbacks-Reds game had two top 5 Cy Young finishers squaring off in Aaron Harang and Brandon Webb, the Cubs and Brewers showdown was no slouch, either. And their pitching beat expectations.

Ben Sheets and Carlos Zambrano matched each other’s zeros as both went into the seventh with shutouts. Zambrano’s pitching seemed remarkably free of the meltdowns he’s so famously entertaining for, but he did leave the game for forearm cramps. If it’s not tantrums, it’s cramps. Given that Zambrano admitted to not drinking enough water, perhaps that’s the key to future opponents’ success: secretly slipping Zambrano water. That or just waiting for the Cubs’ bullpen to blow it.

Wood allowed 3 runs in the top of the 9th to give the Brewers the lead. Of course, Eric Gagne, the Brewers’ closer, blew the save, too, giving those 3 runs right back to Kosuke Fukudome, who launched himself into Cubs’ fans good graces with a game-tying 3-run blast. Then Bob Howry, the other reliever previously in the Cubs’ closer sweepstakes, failed to get the job done and allowed the go-ahead run to score in the 10th. David Riske held on for the Brewers in the 9th to pick up the save, with Gagne getting the win.

If the first game is any indication, the top two NL Central teams from last year continue to be evenly matched. The games between these teams should be fun.

Opening Day is here, and I know you don’t feel like concentrating on work. It’s time to get out the fun!

This awesome Who Wants to be a Millionaire-style quiz tests your knowledge of NLC teams: current trivia, history, and Red Hot Mama lore. Well, I think it’s awesome. Whether you do is about to be seen, I reckon. I bet you will. After all, it’s not work.

Thanks to the Crack Technical Staff for making this quiz work. Now go play!

Who Wants to Be an NLC Expert?

(Game modified from a Flash template provided at Flash Kit.)
Get the latest version of Flash here.