Lind helps Brewers finish sweep of Phillies
PHILADELPHIA -- The Brewers had already waited since last August to celebrate a sweep. A pair of extra innings on Thursday night were worth the effort.
Adam Lind's 11th-inning single sent the Brewers to an 8-7 win over the Phillies and sealed Milwaukee's four-game sweep at Citizens Bank Park in a series that featured the NL's bottom two teams, and in the Phillies, the league's worst pitching team. The Brewers scored 28 runs in Philadelphia and have averaged 6.6 runs per game during a five-game winning streak, part of a larger stretch of eight wins in 10 games.
"It's been a fun last week, scoring a bunch of runs," Lind said.
Video: MIL@PHI: Lind laces single up middle to plate Lucroy
The Phillies scored three runs in the seventh inning against Brewers relievers Jonathan Broxton and Will Smith to forge a 7-7 tie that lasted until the 11th, when Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy sparked the winning rally with a double. It led to the first Brewers sweep of an opponent since last Aug. 15-17 at Dodger Stadium, when Milwaukee pushed three games ahead of the rest of the NL Central before a slide that continued into 2015.
Video: MIL@PHI: Rodriguez retires Asche to earn the save
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Galvis ties game: The Phillies entered the bottom of the seventh trailing by three runs, but on the back of three hits and a walk, the inning ended with the score all knotted up. The biggest hit of the inning came off the bat of Freddy Galvis, who slumped all of June, going 17-for-85. Galvis singled Domonic Brown home, tying the game and notching his third single of the night. Thursday was only Galvis' second three-hit game since May 15 after he did so seven times in the month prior.
"The last few nights a lot of good hitting," interim manager Pete Mackanin said. "Threes were wild tonight. Asche, Freddy, Cesar and Herrera. They swung the bats well. Guys fought. It was a fun game until the end. To come back like that, it was nice to see." More >
Video: MIL@PHI: Revere sneaks RBI single through right side
Brewers start hot: The Brewers sent seven men to the plate and scored a trio of first-inning runs against Phillies starter Chad Billingsley, the third run scoring on Aramis Ramirez's sacrifice fly. Ramirez added two hits later in the game and finished 7-for-12 in the series with eight RBIs.
"We scored in the first inning all four games," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said, "and playing with the lead, it's easier for everybody. It's an easier at-bat for everybody. It's easier on the pitcher. It sets up your bullpen better. It's important." More >
Video: MIL@PHI: Ramirez knocks in Braun with sac fly
Bunting backfires: With the Phillies' fleet-footed Odubel Herrera standing on first base with no outs in the top of the eighth inning, red-hot second baseman Cesar Hernandez walked up to the plate. He opted for the sacrifice bunt to try to move Herrera over to second, putting the winning run in scoring position. The bunt failed however, as Hernandez struck out on a foul-tipped third strike. A flyout and a strikeout later, Herrera still stood on first.
"He's got to get a bunt down," Mackanin said. "We're trying to win the game. That's another decision. I want the guy in scoring position. The guy's a table-setter. He doesn't hit for power. He's got to get the bunt down."
Nice grab: Counsell diverted a pregame conversation about the Brewers' recent offensive outburst into a conversation about their improved defense, and left fielder Gerardo Parra drove home the point in the Brewers' otherwise tough seventh inning. Parra's sliding catch off a Maikel Franco fly ball preventing a tying Phillies rally from being a go-ahead one.
Video: MIL@PHI: Parra makes great diving catch to rob Franco
QUOTABLE
"I feel like I've been in here two months and every night I say, 'The bullpen's been great.' So if I say [otherwise] once every two months, it's fine. They're going to give up runs. It's OK. We fought back, and that's what a team win is." -- Counsell, on the seventh-inning letdown. More >
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Over the Phillies' seven-game home stand, Hernandez batted 14-for-30 and scored seven runs. Of Hernandez's 14 hits, 12 were singles and only two drove in runs. He also stole six bases over that span.
Video: MIL@PHI: Howard hammers RBI double off wall
WHAT'S NEXT
Brewers: The Brewers will have their most reliable starter on the mound Friday for a series opener in Cincinnati, as Mike Fiers aims for payback from a 16-10 loss to the Reds at Miller Park on April 21. First pitch is at 6:10 p.m. CT.
Phillies: The Phillies head to Atlanta for the start of a three-game series that begins a 10-game road trip leading into the All-Star break. Adam Morgan will start Friday for the Phillies, making his first career start road start and first in-division start. The game is scheduled to start at 7:35 p.m. ET.
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