Ryan's Place

Magic Start Season With 109-94 Win

2006-11-01T23:47:00.000-06:00

From Sportsline.com:

Orlando Magic coach Brian Hill thought his team had no chance against the Bulls Wednesday night after watching Chicago rout the defending champion Miami Heat to open the season.

"They just drove the ball everywhere they wanted to go," Hill said.

Hill was happy to be wrong.

Dwight Howard had 27 points and 11 rebounds and Jameer Nelson scored 21 points as the Magic surprised the Chicago Bulls 109-94 Wednesday night in Orlando's season opener.

The Bulls beat the Heat by 42 points the night before, but couldn't find their stroke Wednesday. Howard took control, grabbing lobs in the low post on fronting defenders and running the baseline for backdoor dunks.

"Dwight's going to be one of those guys in this league that are going to make it hard, make it tough for anyone who comes into this building to get a win," Bulls center Ben Wallace said of the third-year player.

Ben Gordon flashed a dazzling array of reverse layups, drives and fadeaway jumpers on his way to 24 points that kept Chicago in the game -- barely. Kirk Hinrich had 14 points and four assists and Luol Deng scored 12 for the Bulls.

Defense Can't Stop Anybody in 28-35 Loss to Chiefs

2006-10-29T22:04:00.000-06:00

From NFL.com:

There is a way to hold onto the ball for two-thirds of the game, move it some 500 yards, get your best player in the end zone four times and still nearly lose the game.

Just ask the Kansas City Chiefs.

At the end of their wild 35-28 victory over the depleted Seattle Seahawks, the Chiefs were feeling more lucky than good, more grateful than boastful.

"That goes to show you what happens in the National Football League," Chiefs coach Herm Edwards said, "when you miss opportunities and turn the ball over in the wrong area of the field and give up big plays."

Larry Johnson, Tony Gonzalez, Damon Huard and Eddie Kennison all had outstanding days for Kansas City (4-3), which went over .500 for the first time all year. The Chiefs had 499 total yards to 240 for Seattle, and 42 minutes, 15 seconds of possession time compared with Seattle's 17:45.

But outrageous mistakes let the Seahawks (4-3) score two unanswered touchdowns and grab a 28-27 lead with about six minutes left.

"We just made some silly mistakes, including myself," said Huard, who was a game-day decision because of a sore groin.

"When you've got a chance to jump on people, you've got to do it. And we didn't."

With Hasselbeck Out 3-4 Weeks, Hawks Sign Hamdan

2006-10-24T22:07:00.000-05:00

From Seahawks.com:

The Seattle Seahawks released wide receiver Willie Ponder and signed quarterback Gibran Hamdan to the 53-man active roster, the team announced this afternoon. Hamdan, whom the Seahawks signed from the San Francisco 49ers practice squad, was released by Seattle on August 28 during training camp and then signed with San Francisco. He originally was a seventh-round pick (232nd overall) by the Washington Redskins in the 2003 NFL Draft and has played in one career game going one for two for 7 yards. Ponder was signed by Seattle on September 5 and played in all six games returning kickoffs. He recorded 25 returns for 587 yards (23.5 avg.) with a long of 41.

Magic Stink in Loss to Vikings 13-31

2006-10-22T22:02:00.000-05:00

From NFL.com:

For years, teams facing the Seahawks at home have tried silent snap counts, blaring music during practices and other tricks to combat Seattle's notoriously raucous crowd noise.

Minnesota Vikings linebacker E.J. Henderson figured out a way to take the crowd and the Seahawks out of it on the same play.

Henderson rolled into Matt Hasselbeck 's right leg early in the second half of a tie game, sending the Pro Bowl quarterback to the locker room for the remainder of the game with a sprained knee.

Then the Vikings' Chester Taylor romped for most of his career-high 169 yards on a pivotal, 95-yard run -- the longest in Minnesota history -- as the Vikings stunned the battered Seahawks 31-13 to end Seattle's team-record 12-game home winning streak.

Qwest Field was so quiet, you could hear another Seahawks star fall.

"I think they were a little shocked a little rattled without their leader out there," Henderson said after his knockout, which did not appear to be intentional. He also had a team-high nine tackles and intercepted backup Seneca Wallace.

Already without his league MVP Shaun Alexander, Seattle coach Mike Holmgren announced Hasselbeck will have an MRI on Oct. 23 to determine the extent of his injury. When pressed on how injured the most important player of his intricate offense is, coach Holmgren turned terse.

"I'm not going to say anything about what it is. He's getting pictures taken tomorrow," Holmgren said.

Seahawks Win Wild One in St. Louis, 30-28

2006-10-15T22:55:00.000-05:00

From NFL.com:

The luck of the Rams finally ran out.

Twice this season -- against Arizona and Green Bay -- St. Louis was on the verge of losing, only to be saved by late-game fumbles by opponents. It almost happened again, but Seattle's Josh Brown kicked a 54-yard field goal as time expired to give Seattle an improbable 30-28 win.

"It was a great game to watch, I'm sure," Seattle coach Mike Holmgren said. "A tough game to coach. Fortunately, Josh was on today."

The win put Seattle (4-1) back atop the NFC West, a half game ahead of the Rams (4-2), who have a bye next week. Seattle won with MVP running back Shaun Alexander still out with a broken foot, and without wide receiver Bobby Engram (thyroid condition) and tight end Jerramy Stevens (knee).

The game shaped up early as a Rams blowout. Two touchdown passes from Marc Bulger to Torry Holt and a 2-yard run by Steven Jackson gave St. Louis a 21-7 lead at the half.

As dominant as the Rams were in the first half, Seattle was better in the second, scoring 20 straight points to go up 27-21 late in the game.

Then the fun began.

After Bulger's first interception in 204 attempts this season gave Seattle the ball deep in St. Louis territory, the game seemed over. But Leonard Little stripped Maurice Morris at the St. Louis 7 with 2:48 to play, and Jimmy Kennedy recovered.

From the St. Louis 33, Bulger threw deep over the middle. Holt, in single coverage, got a hand on the ball at the Seattle 20, tipped it into the air, then grabbed it and ran into the end zone for a career-best third touchdown catch.

"It was a shot," Bulger said. "As long as I could get one-on-one coverage, I just wanted to give him (Holt) a chance. Great players do things like that."

The Rams have had plenty of luck on their side this season. Against Arizona, the Cardinals had the ball deep in Rams territory and were setting up a winning chip-shot field goal when quarterback Kurt Warner fumbled. The Rams recovered, securing a 16-14 win.

Last week, St. Louis was up 23-20 with the Packers moving. But Little stripped the ball from Brett Favre at the Rams 11, and St. Louis had another gift.

This time, Seattle had an answer, led by Matt Hasselbeck, who was 19 of 34 for 268 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions.

Starting at the Seattle 17 and with no timeouts, Hasselbeck hit D.J. Hackett for 14 yards, Darrell Jackson for 19 and Deion Branch for nine. Two runs moved the ball to the St. Louis 31.

As Hasselbeck spiked the ball with four seconds left, the Seahawks were whistled for an illegal formation. The Rams began to celebrate, believing a 10-second clock runoff would give them the win.

"The 10-second runoff people are familiar with is a false start, or when the players never get set before the ball is snapped," referee Ed Hochuli said. "This is not a 10-second runoff situation."

Brown then made his third field goal of the game, the ball sailing well past the goalpost.

"I really didn't have a whole lot of worries," Brown said.

Seattle sacked Bulger six times, often with just a three-man front. Former Ram Bryce Fisher and Julian Peterson had two sacks each.

"We have too high of a sack number right now," Rams coach Scott Linehan said. "We don't want to give away any, but for them to get us in a three-man rush is not good."

Branch, making his first start since coming to Seattle in a trade from New England earlier this season, had six catches for 76 yards and two touchdowns. Jackson had four catches for 94 yards and a touchdown.

The wild ending might not have happened if not for a wing-and-a-prayer play by Seattle in the third quarter.

Down 21-7 and facing third-and-15, Hasselbeck threw the ball about 60 yards in the air to Jackson, who split triple coverage and slid under the pass for a 42-yard score.

"To be honest, I really didn't think he was going to get there and catch it," Hasselbeck said.

Brown's 49-yard field goal got Seattle within four. Then Kevin Curtis fumbled the ensuing kickoff, Seattle's Kevin Bentley recovering at the St. Louis 22.

Two plays later, Hasselbeck threw a perfect fade pass and Branch easily beat Travis Fisher to give Seattle its first lead.

Brown added another 49-yarder with 10:33 to play, setting up the wild ending.

Seahawks Pathetic in 6-37 Loss at Chicago

2006-10-01T23:45:00.000-05:00

From NFL.com:

Lance Briggs couldn't hide his emotions. He smiled, he broke into a rap and even showed off his dance moves as he got dressed after the Chicago Bears showed how serious they are about contending for the NFC title.

The Bears linebacker had reason to be giddy. Chicago just finished dominating the defending conference champion Seattle Seahawks.

Rex Grossman threw for 232 yards and Ricky Manning Jr. intercepted two of Matt Hasselbeck's passes to lead Chicago to a 37-6 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night.

"Thirty seven-six just shows what we're capable of, but we're a lot better than that," Grossman said. "They're a lot better than they played tonight and we realize that. ... We realize we may face them down the road at some point, and we're glad we got the win."

Grossman had another solid performance, completing 17 of 31 passes with two touchdowns and no interceptions, and the Bears improved to 4-0 for the first time since 1991.

Bernard Berrian had three receptions for a career-high 108 yards and a touchdown.

The Bears also got their running game going after three sluggish performances, with Thomas Jones rushing for 98 yards and two touchdowns.

And the league's fourth-ranked defense shut down a Seahawks team that was missing injured running back Shaun Alexander.

"We definitely sent a message," Briggs said. "We're out to send a message every week. Every week, we gain another believer."

With the Bears leading 10-3, Manning intercepted Hasselbeck twice in the second quarter to set up a field goal and touchdown.

Seahawks Cut Kacyvenski, Make Room For Weeks

2006-09-30T20:13:00.000-05:00

From Seahawks.com:

The Seattle Seahawks have released seven-year veteran linebacker Isaiah Kacyvenski and signed running back Marquis Weeks from the team’s practice squad to its active roster, the team announced Saturday afternoon.

Kacyvenski, drafted by Seattle with the second of two fourth-round picks (119th overall) in the 2000 NFL Draft, has played in 90 career games with 22 starts, amassing 184 tackles (136 solo), one sack, three interceptions and one forced fumble with the Seahawks.

This season he has played on special teams only and has three tackles, giving him 84 career special teams stops along with a fumble forced and fumble recovery.

Weeks signed as a rookie free agent from Virginia in 2005 and spent last season on the team’s practice squad, where he has also spent the first three games this season.

This preseason he played in all four games, carrying 23 times for 81 yards (3.5 avg.) with a long of 24 and one touchdown. He carried once for six yards vs. Dallas with his remaining numbers against the Oakland Raiders in the preseason finale.

Alexander Out With Injured Foot

2006-09-25T20:15:00.000-05:00

From Seahawks.NET:

Alexander has played in 99 consecutive games. It has been apparent through the 2006 season that Alexander hadn't been playing at MVP-level - gaining only 187 yards on 65 carries for a 2.9 yards-per-carry average and two touchdowns. He had been suffering from minor foot injuries, decreasing his ability to cut back and limiting his speed, since the season opener in Detroit. The severity of the injury had been disclosed as a bone bruise before today, when the renewed injury was made public. Holmgren said that the bone bruise led to the crack in the bone, which is non-weight-bearing.

"I don't think it will be real lengthy," Holmgren said, when asked how long Alexander would be out of action. "Now, he just has to stay off of it and let it heal.

"We're looking at a few weeks, let's put it that way," the coach continued. "The good thing is, it's just a small, little crack -- if you want to talk about a good thing."

According to Holmgren, Alexander was walking around team headquarters on crutches Monday. The players were given the day off after their third straight win, a 42-30 victory over the New York Giants.

Maurice Morris will replace Alexander as the starting running in the meantime. Morris is in his 5th season with the Seahawks, drafted out of Oregon in the 2nd round of the 2002 draft (86th overall).

In his career, Morris has carried 193 times for 872 yards with a 4.5 yards-per-carry average. He's a nice change-up and complement to Alexander with a bit more outside elusiveness – think of a slightly less impactful Brian Westbrook to Alexander’s Terrell Davis. He's good out of the backfield as well. Look for Morris and FB Mack Strong to keep defenses somewhat honest during the weeks in which Alexander heals.

The Seahawks play the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field next Sunday. Their bye week is the week after that, and they will face the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome on October 15th.

Seahawks Spank Giants 42-30

2006-09-24T20:10:00.000-05:00

From NFL.com:

Flat doesn't begin to describe the New York Giants' start to their supposed showdown with Seattle.

Flattened is more like it.

Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck threw five touchdown passes -- four in a first half in which Eli Manning had three interceptions. New York trailed 42-3 before rallying in the fourth quarter to a 42-30 loss Sunday.

"I don't know what it is. But it's not flat," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said after his team followed a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit at Philadelphia last week with a 35-0 flop in the first half against the soaring Seahawks.

"A team that does nothing but preach and talk about turnovers, we turn it over like nothing matters, nothing counts," Coughlin said. "It cost us the game."

It all left New York's Jeremy Shockey irate -- at his coach.

"We got outplayed, and outcoached. Write that down," the volatile tight end said after he was told of Coughlin's frustrated outburst.

Shockey had four catches for 58, inconsequential yards.

When asked what he meant by "outcoached" Shockey said, "You saw the game."

The Seahawks (3-0) won their 12th consecutive regular-season home game and finally felt good about their previously sputtering offense, thanks to Deion Branch's debut.

The former Patriot and Super Bowl MVP caught two passes for 23 yards and ran a reverse 8 yards. He was part of the Seahawks' new, four-wide receiver scheme, an offensive makeover during the game's relatively few important parts.

"There was no way for them to prepare for that ... we were running routes we'd never shown," Hasselbeck said.

Seahawks Beat Cardinals 21-10

2006-09-17T20:15:00.000-05:00

From NFL.com:

Standards have risen so high in Seattle that some members of the Seahawks aren't happy -- despite being 2-0.

None of those would be on defense.

"Everybody expects us to be the team that was in the Super Bowl," running back Shaun Alexander said after a 21-10 win over Arizona. "This is only the second week. So I think we have a good, second-week offense instead of the team that walked into the Super Bowl."

Last year's year MVP ran for a relatively modest 89 yards on 26 carries -- most of those late -- and scored an early touchdown.

Then Seattle's swarming, blitzing defense continually harassed quarterback Kurt Warner and the Cardinals into missed opportunities in the Seahawks' second consecutive underwhelming win.

"Our defense really stepped up today. I think they have a chance to be a special group, I really do," said Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren, who calls Seattle's plays.

"Offensively," he added, "it is a work in progress."

Seattle is 2-0 for the third time in four seasons despite Pro Bowler Matt Hasselbeck throwing two interceptions and going just 12-for-27 for 221 yards -- his first game under 50 percent passing in two seasons.

And Alexander, last season's league rushing champion, was held below 100 yards for the second consecutive game for the first time since November, 2004. He had 51 yards in a field-goal filled win at Detroit in the opener.

"Well, I'm happy we are 2-0," Hasselbeck said. "There are definitely things can correct. We're a little sloppy ... we all need to play better. I need to play better.

"There's obviously things on the film we are not going to enjoy watching."

Sheets Is Stellar In 2-1 Win

2006-09-13T22:37:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

Ben Sheets kept getting better and better, and pretty soon he was approaching perfection.

Sheets retired the first 18 batters before Chris Duffy led off the seventh inning with a single, and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-1 Wednesday to split a doubleheader.

"Things were going good. I ain't going to lie. It definitely crossed my mind," Sheets said.

"If it's your day, it's going to be your day, no matter what you do. I had a good day," he said.

In the opener, Freddy Sanchez recorded three hits and Ian Snell struck out 10 as Pittsburgh won 6-3.

Sheets (5-6) gave up two hits and struck out 10 in eight innings. He did not walk a batter. One pitch after Duffy singled, Sheets picked him off first base.

"We got into the seventh inning and I started thinking, 'He's got a real shot at a no-hitter here with his stuff,'" Brewers manager Ned Yost said. "The first inning, the first couple of hitters he was just OK. And then all of a sudden, it just clicked for him and he started getting stronger and stronger and stronger. He just had really good stuff today: Good breaking ball, real good fastball, really good changeup, spotting well."

There has not been a perfect game in the majors since Randy Johnson pitched one for Arizona at Atlanta on May 18, 2004.

While Sheets was trying to do it at PNC Park, Freddy Garcia of the Chicago White Sox was taking a perfect game try into the seventh inning at Anaheim against the Angels. Moments after Duffy's hit, Adam Kennedy singled with two outs in the eighth for the Angels.

Geoff Jenkins and Prince Fielder homered as the Brewers won for only the second time in their last seven games and fourth time in their last 19.

"(Sheets) was outstanding today," Fielder said. "He pitched great. Both the hits he gave up weren't really bad pitches, there was just better hitting that time."

Francisco Cordero pitched the ninth for his 12th save in as many chances since being acquired by the Brewers July 28.

Dating to his last start against Pittsburgh July 25, Sheets retired 32 Pirates in a row. He sent down the final 14 batters he faced in a 6-1 Pirates' win in Sheets' first game after missing almost two months because of tendinitis in his right shoulder.

"Seeing him perform like that and pitch like he did today, that was fun to be part of," said catcher Mike Rivera, credited by Sheets with calling a good game.

"It's a sign that the old Ben is here again and that's what we need. Today he was great with all of his pitches. His fastball was up to 96 (mph) and he was kind of down with his fastball and he showed that he is getting better and stronger every day," he said.

Sheets' gem was in front of an announced crowd of 11,627 -- but far fewer than that witnessed it. The matchup between two of the National League's four worst teams on a chilly and drizzly afternoon had what appeared to be less than 1,000 fans on hand by the time his perfect game bid reached the sixth inning.

Milwaukee has never had a perfect game in its 38-season history. The Brewers' only no-hitter was by Juan Nieves April 15, 1987.

"You certainly want to try to win both ends of it, but there is nothing to be ashamed of with the effort we gave today all day long," Pirates manager Jim Tracy said. "Every once in a while, you take your cap off and tip it. I don't know if I've seen Ben Sheets any better than we saw today for eight innings.

Brewers Lose 1st Doubleheader Game 3-6

2006-09-13T22:32:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

Ian Snell is learning how to pitch inside to major league hitters and seeing the results.

Snell struck out 10 to tie his career high and Freddy Sanchez got three hits to raise his NL-leading batting average to .342, sending the Pittsburgh Pirates past the Milwaukee Brewers 6-3 Wednesday in the first game of a doubleheader.

"A great performance by Ian Snell," Pittsburgh manager Jim Tracy said. "He did something today that was very impressive. His effectiveness of pitching inside helped him immensely with his curveball and his slider down and away that he had very good command of, which was evidenced by the fact that he walked one and had 10 strikeouts."

Snell (13-10) became the first Pirates pitcher to win as many as 13 games in a season since 1999, when Todd Ritchie won 15.

"I was actually throwing inside and changing eye levels to all the hitters," Snell said. "I wasn't throwing a lot of the same pitches to the same hitters."

Snell said he has always had a fear of throwing inside since he hit and seriously injured a batter when he was young.

But Snell said pitching coach Jim Colborn has helped him get over that fear, and Snell rebounded Wednesday after two consecutive losses.

Brewers Lose To Pirates 3-4

2006-09-11T23:30:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

Zach Duke is showing the form he had in 2005.

Duke tied a season-high with seven strikeouts in eight innings, leading the Pittsburgh Pirates over the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 Monday night.

"I felt like I was on top of the ball the whole time," Duke said. "It's definitely a good feeling to go out there and get the win."

Duke (9-13) was 8-2 with a 1.81 ERA in 14 starts last season, but this season his ERA was at 5.51 July 24.

He has allowed only 21 earned runs in 67 2/3 innings since, a 2.79 ERA. Against the Brewers, he allowed two runs, five hits and two walks, pitching at least six innings for his ninth straight start.

"It was a very efficient game for him tonight," Pittsburgh manager Jim Tracy said. "He's very capable of getting groundballs. The sinker his last two outings is probably the sinker they saw around here last year. It's been very deep, and guys either swing over the top of it or rolling over it and hitting it into the ground."

Duke had won only one of his previous eight starts -- despite allowing three runs or fewer five times in than span.

Seahawks Trade For Branch

2006-09-11T23:07:00.000-05:00

From Mike Kahn at Seahawks.com:

Sometimes rumors really do come true.

With perceptions that the New England Patriots would not part with Deion Branch, despite their inability to come up with a new contract, the Seattle Seahawks pried away the gifted wide receiver Monday in exchange for a 2007 No. 1 draft choice.

The move for the 27-year-old former Super Bowl MVP greatly expands the Seahawks talent base at wide receiver and is another example of how the team is willing to make any move necessary to enhance their chances of returning to the Super Bowl this winter.

Branch’s business managers were due in town late Monday to work out the details of a long-term deal extension, Seahawks president Tim Ruskell said, adding that this has been going on for a couple of weeks.

“We’ve looked at him and studied him - a good fit for our system in terms of what we do,” Ruskell said. “And doing further research, a good guy for the team, another good character guy for this football team, which I think I’m more excited about that part than the player, even. Those were the main reasons to continue to pursue it and then ultimately get the deal done. It’s a chance to get another football player that fits our team and adds to our chemistry.”

The 5-9, 193-pound Branch had one more year on his contract but was unhappy with the prospects the Patriots had laid out on the table. The 65th pick overall in the 2002 draft from Louisville, Branch set a record with 11 receptions and earned MVP honors as the Patriots won Super Bowl XXXIX. He also caught 10 passes in Super Bowl XXXVIII, and holds two of the top seven receiving records in Super Bowl history.

Seahawks Beat Lions 9-6 With Josh Brown's Game Winning FG

2006-09-10T23:04:00.000-05:00

From NFL.com:

The Seattle Seahawks got to celebrate at Ford Field -- seven months too late.

On the turf where Seattle lost the Super Bowl to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Josh Brown kicked a 42-yard field goal on the last play of the game to lift the Seahawks to a 9-6 victory over the Detroit Lions.

When the game ended, the Seahawks jumped around, hugged and shouted.

"I'm ready to pass out. That's fun," Brown said on the field after a teammate jubilantly lifted him off the ground. "This is exactly the way I would like to start the season."

Perhaps only a kicker could enjoy a game with five field goals and no touchdowns.

The defending NFC champions, who led the NFL in scoring last season, put together a key drive when they needed it after a sluggish day behind a shaky offensive line.

Seattle started the game-winning drive at their 20 with 3:13 left after Lions' new coach Rod Marinelli decided against a long field-goal attempt.

Maurice Morris set up the game-winning kick with a 17-yard run, one of his three carries, spelling last year's league MVP Shaun Alexander.

Seattle defensive end Bryce Fisher said it was not an ugly win.

"I've never seen one," Fisher said. "It's like an ugly baby -- you never see one."

Brewers Avoid Sweep With 4-0 Win

2006-09-10T20:58:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

With five wins since Aug. 1, including a five-hit shutout on Sunday, Dave Bush is probably pitching as well as he ever has.

Bush struck out a season-high 10 in his third career shutout, leading the Milwaukee Brewers to a 4-0 victory over the Houston Astros.

"It just seems like each start he is getting better and better," Brewers center fielder Brady Clark said, citing Bush's recent "swagger" on the mound. "The confidence has built up. He is confident in his stuff, and he is confident in his ability to locate his pitches."

It was the second shutout this season for Bush (11-10), who has three complete games this year and six in his career.

The right-hander walked none and allowed only one runner past second base. He struck out two batters each in the first, third and fifth, and fell one strikeout shy of his career high as he threw 85 of his 116 pitches for strikes.

"He was lights out from the first pitch on," Milwaukee manager Ned Yost said. "He was very, very sharp."

And the Astros' hitters noticed.

Brewers Smoked In 4-10 Loss

2006-09-09T23:55:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

Houston manager Phil Garner isn't worrying about the standings until his Astros reach the .500 mark.

Lance Berkman had two home runs and four RBI, and Jason Hirsh pitched six-plus strong innings to lead the Houston Astros to a 10-4 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday night.

Houston won its third straight game to move into second place in the NL Central, one-half game ahead of Cincinnati. The last time the Astros (70-71) were in second was May 6.

"We're one game closer to .500 and that's our goal," Garner said. "We want to get to .500. We got there (before) and had trouble pushing over. We've got to get over the hump."

Berkman agreed: "It's what we've said all along. We've got to get to .500 before we can even think about making a run at the postseason. We've been close a couple times but haven't been able to get over the hump. Maybe this is the time we can get over .500 and make up some ground on these guys we've been chasin'."

Adam Everett and Luke Scott also homered for Houston, sending Milwaukee to its third straight loss and 13th in 15 games.

"We didn't hit the ball against (Hirsh)," Milwaukee manager Ned Yost said. "We didn't do much against him. It was just one of those nights where we got beat."

Brewers Lose To Astros 3-4

2006-09-08T23:52:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

Roy Oswalt was not in the mood to celebrate his win.

Oswalt allowed five hits in seven strong innings for his sixth victory in his last seven decisions and Aubrey Huff and Morgan Ensberg homered to help the Houston Astros stay close in the NL wild card race with a 4-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night.

The Astros (69-71) came in five games behind the San Diego Padres for the wild card with 22 games to play in their bid for a third consecutive playoff appearance.

Oswalt (12-8) tied his season-high with nine strikeouts. His only real trouble came when he hit Damian Miller with the bases loaded to force in the tying run in the seventh. Miller dropped to the ground and laid motionless for a few moments. Astros catcher Brad Ausmus immediately knelt over him as the Brewers' trainer raced out to home plate. Miller walked off the field.

"Why would I want to hit somebody with the bases loaded?" Oswalt asked, and then explained how the pitch sailed on him. "I got half way through the pitch, and I don't know, I just let it go, and it rode up and in. When I first threw it, I thought I threw it behind him."

Oswalt said that errant pitch may be a result of getting hit in the right wrist by a line drive off the bat of the Chicago Cubs' Ronny Cedeno four starts ago.

"I just got right through my delivery and my wrist just popped," Oswalt said. "When it locked up, I just let the ball go."

Brewers Can't Pull Off Sweep In 1-2 Loss

2006-09-06T23:50:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

For Dodgers manager Grady Little, the only thing to discuss was Derek Lowe.

Lowe allowed three hits and an unearned run in eight innings to help the Dodgers beat the Milwaukee Brewers 2-1 Wednesday night and stop a three-game losing streak.

"Anything you said about this game outside of talking about Derek Lowe's performance would be secondary," Little said.

Matt Kemp scored the tying run and drove in the go-ahead run for Los Angeles, which avoided getting swept in the three-game series. The Dodgers, who trailed in the NL West by 7½ games on July 26, remained one game ahead of second-place San Diego.

began the night one game ahead of second-place San Diego.

The Dodgers had gone 16 scoreless innings over three games before Kemp scored on Rafael Furcal's sacrifice fly in the fifth.

"It was a win we needed to have," said Lowe, who got 20 groundball outs. "We scraped across two, and that was enough."

Brewers Win Again 9-0

2006-09-05T23:42:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

After winning seven straight games, the Los Angeles Dodgers have been anything but lucky.

Los Angeles lost its third straight Tuesday night, falling to the Milwaukee Brewers 9-0 as Doug Davis pitched a four-hitter and Corey Hart drove in a career-high six runs.

The Dodgers have been outscored 27-8 in their last three games.

"When you don't score runs, you look flat," Los Angeles manager Grady Little said. "There is no getting around that. But we will put this game behind us and come back tomorrow and see if we will be ready to beat on somebody. Then when we start hitting the ball, starting having baserunners, we won't look flat anymore. I guarantee you."

Los Angeles, which had opened a 7½-game lead in the NL West on July 26, leads second-place San Diego just just one game.

"It's hard to get it going if you are not getting any baserunners, and we didn't get too many tonight," Little said.

Davis (10-9) struck out eight, walked one and retired his final 16 batters in his third career shutout, his first since a seven-hitter at Minnesota on May 21, 2005. He had lost his three previous starts since beating Pittsburgh on Aug. 15.

Seahawks Sign Ponder, Cut Mann

2006-09-05T21:01:00.000-05:00

From Seahawks.com:

The Seattle Seahawks have signed free agent wide receiver Willie Ponder, the team announced this afternoon.

Ponder spent three seasons with the New York Giants after being selected in the sixth-round (199th overall) of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played in 26 career games being used primarily as a kickoff returner and led the NFL in 2004 with a 26.9 kickoff return average.

He has returned 71 career kickoffs for 1,872 yards (26.4 avg.) with a long of 95t and two touchdowns and has eight career receptions for 38 yards (4.8 avg.) with a long of 16.

To make room on the 53-man roster, Seattle waived wide receiver Maurice Mann.

Brewers Finally Get Win Against Dodgers 6-3

2006-09-04T23:41:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

The Milwaukee Brewers could finally let out a sigh of relief.

The Brewers ended their 10-game losing streak on Monday, handing Greg Maddux his first defeat since being traded to Los Angeles in a 6-3 victory over the Dodgers.

"Just winning a game is important, just getting that streak behind us," manager Ned Yost said.

Tony Graffanino went 3-for-5 with three RBI to lead the Brewers, who were four games short of the franchise's all-time worst skid.

"We saw how close we were getting, and really, everybody here wanted to get there so bad it backfired on us," he said.

Los Angeles' NL West lead was cut to two games over second-place San Diego.

Maddux, who was 3-0 since being traded to Los Angeles by the Chicago Cubs on July 31, allowed a run and two hits in his first four innings. But an infield hit glanced off Maddux's glove in the fifth, setting up a three-run inning for Milwaukee.

Brewers Losing Streak Continues In 3-10 Loss

2006-09-03T23:31:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

The Marlins made it back to .500 after sinking to 20 games below the even mark in May. Florida is making even bigger plans now.

Rookie Scott Olsen allowed one hit in seven scoreless innings, and the Marlins scored seven runs in the eighth to beat Milwaukee 10-3 on Sunday and extend the Brewers' losing streak to 10 games.

"What our guys have accomplished so far to this point is special, but we have a chance to do something bigger: playoffs," Marlins manager Joe Girardi said.

After the game, the team announced it was sending out order forms to season-ticket holders for the playoffs with Florida two games behind San Diego in the NL wild-card race.

"We can talk about it," left fielder Josh Willingham said of the Marlins' postseason chance. "Bottom line is we have 26 games left, and we're going to have to win most of those games, maybe 15, to get to the playoffs."

The Marlins have already won 12 of the last 14 with a staff that's jelled at the right time, led by Dontrelle Willis and loaded with impressive rookies such as Josh Johnson, Ricky Nolasco, Anibal Sanchez and Olsen.

Olsen (12-7) struck out seven and walked two as Florida (68-68) completed the three-game sweep and became the first team since the 1899 Louisville Colonels to return to .500 after falling 20 games below, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The Marlins were 11-31 on May 21. The Colonels started 16-38 before reaching .500 at 72-72-3.

Seahawks Announce Practice Squad

2006-09-03T23:17:00.000-05:00

From Seahawks.com:

2006 Practice Squad Players:

FB David Kirtman
LB Lance Laury
WR Ben Obomanu
DE Robert Pollard
CB Gerard Ross
C Pat Ross
TE Leonard Stephens
RB Marquis Weeks

Brewers Lose Again To Marlins 6-9

2006-09-02T23:27:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

Switch-hitter Alfredo Amezaga changed his mind before his final plate appearance: He wouldn't choke up on the bat despite a 2-for-29 slump against lefties.

It worked.

Amezaga singled in the go-ahead run off Brian Shouse in the 10th inning and Florida beat Milwaukee 9-6 Saturday night to extend the Brewers' losing streak to a season-high nine games.

"Everybody says I can't hit from the right side," he said. "But in a big situation is when it's pretty important."

Marlins manager Joe Girardi called it the biggest win all year after Joe Borowski (3-2) gave up Geoff Jenkins' tying two-run homer with two outs in the ninth. Taylor Tankersley pitched the 10th for his third save in five chances.

"They're very resilient. They have lots of character, lots of heart and lots of fight in them," Girardi said. "It tells you our guys believe."

Josh Willingham, Mike Jacobs and Hanley Ramirez homered for the Marlins, who have won 11 of 13 to pull within 1½ games of the NL wild card despite subpar pitching by starter Josh Johnson.

Seahawks Make Final Cuts

2006-09-02T23:08:00.000-05:00

From Seahawks.com:

The Following Players Were Waived:

RB	Jimmy Dixon
G	William Henry
CB	Kevin Hobbs
WR	C.J. Jones
FB	David Kirtman
QB	Travis Lulay
LB	Lance Laury
G	Jason Murphy
WR	Ben Obomanu
DE	Robert Pollard
S	Etric Pruitt
CB	Gerard Ross
C	Pat Ross
TE	Leonard Stephens
WR	Justin Surrency
DE	John Syptak
RB	Marquis Weeks
LB	Cornelius Wortham

The Following Veteran Contracts Were Terminated:

TE	Matt Murphy
WR	Peter Warrick

Brewers Lose To Marlins 2-3

2006-09-01T23:23:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

Anibal Sanchez picked a good time to throw the best game of his young career for the Florida Marlins.

Sanchez (6-2) threw seven strong innings Friday night, giving up just one run and five hits, while striking out a career-high seven, to lead the Marlins to a 3-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. The loss was Milwaukee's eighth straight.

The win was important for the Marlins, who had dropped two straight games after reeling off a nine-game winning streak that had pushed them back into the National League wild card race.

Making his 12th start, Sanchez did not give up a hit until Prince Fielder had a broken-bat single in the fourth. In his last five starts, he is 2-0 with a 1.69 ERA. Taylor Tankersley pitched a scoreless eighth inning and Joe Borowski gave up a solo homer to Laynce Nix before getting the final three outs for his 32nd save in 36 chances.

"I know I have to show that, because I want to make the rotation next year," Sanchez said. "I don't want to go back to the minor leagues."

Marlins manager Joe Girardi said Sanchez threw the best game of his career.

"It's got to be a pleasure to play behind him, and a pleasure to umpire behind him," Girardi said. "He goes out there and throws strikes."

Umps Blow It In Brewers' 3-5 Loss

2006-08-31T23:19:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

Milwaukee manager Ned Yost and first baseman Jeff Cirillo were ejected in the first inning as the Brewers lost their season-high seventh straight road game.

Prince Fielder replaced Cirillo and snapped out of an 0-for-17 slump with an RBI single off Pettitte and a two-out solo homer in the eighth off Dan Wheeler. The Astros' set-up man hadn't allowed a run since June 24, a span of 20 appearances and 17 1/3 innings.

But Wheeler struck out Bill Hall to end the inning and Lidge shut out Milwaukee in the ninth, earning his 100th career save and his 28th in 33 appearances this season.

"It definitely feels great," Lidge said of his milestone. "I know it's early in my career, but when you do it in a win, it's obviously the best feeling there is."

The Brewers, meanwhile, haven't won a road game since Aug. 18 and this bad night away from home started when Brady Clark grounded out leading off the game and got into a shouting match with first-base umpire Tim Timmons. Clark was clearly out, but the two had a heated exchange as first-base coach Dave Nelson held Clark back and Yost ran out of the dugout to argue.

After Tony Graffanino's fly out, Cirillo grounded to Biggio, the second baseman, and Timmons called Cirillo out on a close play. Cirillo slammed his helmet down and yelled at Timmons as Yost sprinted out again. Timmons ejected both of them.

Timmons refused to comment after the game, but Cirillo had plenty to say.

"I didn't know what was going on with Brady and them," he said. "And then when Brady grounded out, he (Timmons) stared at him and punched him out aggressively.

"On my play, I would hate to think that he would sacrifice his job performance on a personal issue," Cirillo said. "I mean, I give everyone the benefit of the doubt unless it's something that was totally blatant."

Brewers Lose Again To Astros 0-1

2006-08-30T23:15:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

Roger Clemens and the Houston Astros had a moment of confusion before realizing they'd beaten Milwaukee on Wednesday night.

Clemens struck out nine in seven shutout innings and Mike Lamb scored on a strange play in the ninth to give the Astros a 1-0 win over the Brewers.

"We didn't know what happened," Clemens said. "Everyone didn't know whether to run on the field or not."

The Astros won their season-high fifth straight by salvaging another sharp outing from Clemens, who matched his season high for strikeouts.

The Rocket allowed three runs or fewer for the 13th time in 14 starts, but walked away with a no-decision.

Brad Lidge (1-4) pitched a scoreless ninth for the win, benefiting from a game-ending play few players had ever seen before.

Willy Taveras grounded out leading off the ninth against Milwaukee reliever Jose Capellan (2-1). Lamb and Craig Biggio followed with singles to put runners at the corners, and Capellan intentionally walked Lance Berkman to load the bases.

Brewers Lose To Astros 3-10

2006-08-29T23:08:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

Roy Oswalt got a big contract and the Astros got another win.

The only thing that went wrong for Houston was that Willy Taveras' 30-game hitting streak ended.

Pinch-hitter Jason Lane had a grand slam during Houston's seven-run eighth inning, and the Astros beat the Milwaukee Brewers 10-3 Tuesday night to match a season high with their fourth straight victory.

Oswalt pitched seven innings but didn't get a decision on his 29th birthday. Still, he received a great present after the game when the team announced that the right-hander agreed to a $73 million, five-year contract extension -- the biggest multiyear deal ever given to an Astros pitcher.

The 2005 NL championship series MVP is ecstatic about remaining in Houston.

"We have the team to win. Last year we played unbelievable ball, and we have the same structure here to win," Oswalt said. "Hopefully, over the next four or five years, we can put the team together, including this year."

A two-time 20-game winner, Oswalt passed up a chance to become a free agent after the 2007 season. And the Astros are thrilled that he's staying.

Brewers Swept in 2-4 Loss

2006-08-28T23:25:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

Josh Johnson is helping the Florida Marlins fight their way back into the NL wild-card race.

Johnson lowered his major league-leading ERA to 2.87, and the Marlins extended their winning streak to eight with a 4-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday night.

Johnson is trying to become the first rookie to lead the major leagues in ERA since Detroit's Mark Fidrych in 1976.

"If it's there at the end of the year, I'll take pride in that," Johnson said. "For now, I just have to keep going."

Dan Uggla hit his 20th homer and added a sacrifice fly for the Marlins (64-66), who had not been within two games of .500 since they were 1-3 before losing on April 9.

Florida pulled within two games of Cincinnati, the NL wild-card leader, and is one game shy of its longest winning streak of the season. The Marlins start a six-game trip Tuesday at St. Louis.

"Right now we're having fun, and we're just going to keep rolling with it as long as it will go," Uggla said. "This is the time you need to make a run at it."

Seahawks Announce 1st Round Of Cuts/Sign TE Stephens

2006-08-28T22:43:00.000-05:00

From Seahawks.com:

The Seattle Seahawks announced the release of 15 players and the addition of one Monday afternoon to reach the NFL’s mandatory roster limit of 75. Mandatory reduction to 53 players is Sunday, September 2. The Seahawks signed TE Leonard Stephens, a second-year player from Howard. The Seahawks also placed WR Skyler Fulton on reserve/NFLEL.

The following players were waived:

CB Reggie Austin
LB Evan Benjamin
WR Tony Brown
T Jeff Bolton
FB Ran Carthon
CB Lance Frazier
DT Alex Guerrero
QB Gibran Hamdan
S Brandon Haw
P Gabe Lindstrom
C Taylor Schmidt
WR Taco Wallace
TE Keith Willis

The following veteran contract was terminated:
S Shaunard Harts

The following player was waived/injury:
WR Keenan Howry

Brewers Lose Again To Marlins 3-4

2006-08-27T23:24:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

Mike Jacobs delivered his first pinch-hit of the season at an ideal time for the Florida Marlins.

Jacobs doubled home Jeremy Hermida with two outs in the ninth inning and the Marlins beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 Sunday for their seventh straight victory.

The surprising Marlins began the day four games behind Cincinnati in the NL wild-card race. Florida, which moved within three games of .500 for the first time since April 15, and Milwaukee play again Monday night.

"This win itself is huge, to get seven in a row," said Jacobs, who had been 0-for-8 as a pinch-hitter this season. "We keep creeping closer to the wild card and .500."

Florida took a 3-2 lead into the ninth, but David Bell greeted reliever Joe Borowski (2-2) with his seventh home run. It was Borowski's fourth blown save in 34 opportunities.

Brewers reliever Brian Shouse (1-1) got two quick outs in the ninth. Hermida then walked and the lefty-hitting Jacobs sliced a line drive through the vacated hole at third, scoring Hermida.

"Right before that pitch, I saw (third baseman) Bell shift over toward the shortstop hole, and it caught my eye," Jacobs said.

Seahawks Lose To Chargers 20-31

2006-08-27T09:44:00.000-05:00

From NFL.com:

Philip Rivers said his bruised throwing shoulder is OK. It's those darn fumbles that pained him the most.

Rivers had a forgettable third exhibition game, losing three fumbles and slightly hurting his arm in the San Diego Chargers' 31-20 victory over the defending NFC champion Seattle Seahawks.

Rivers was injured late in the second quarter when he was sacked by Craig Terrill and fumbled, with Darryl Tapp recovering for Seattle. He came back for the next series and was sacked again, by Grant Wistrom.

Rivers was the last player to return to the sideline after halftime, escorted by trainer James Collins. His shoulder was wrapped and he was holding his arm close to his side.

"It's good," Rivers said. "It's just a little ding, just a little bruise. It's not an issue at all. If we'd have played four quarters, I'd have played four quarters. If we played tomorrow, I'd play tomorrow."

Rivers said the first stringers were done anyway at halftime, although coach Marty Schottenheimer had said during the week that the starters would play into the third quarter.

"He's fine," Schottenheimer said. "It's nothing of any consequence."

Brewers Lose Again 2-7

2006-08-26T23:22:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

With their manager's future in doubt, the Florida Marlins keep winning.

Joe Girardi's overachieving young team won its sixth game in a row Saturday, climbing within four games of .500 for the first time since April by beating Milwaukee 7-2.

The surge comes as a feud festers between Girardi and owner Jeffrey Loria. Dontrelle Willis pitched seven innings, and Miguel Cabrera and Hanley Ramirez drove in two runs apiece to help Florida pull within four games of NL wild-card leader Cincinnati.

Before the latest victory, Loria declined to endorse the job Girardi has done in his first year as manager. There has been speculation Girardi won't return next season because of the rift, which became public three weeks ago.

"We'll sit down at the end of the season and figure out what we're going to do," Loria said.

The late-season soap opera is starting to attract attention: The crowd of 30,017 was Florida's fourth-largest of the year.

Brewers Lose To Marlins 5-6

2006-08-25T23:15:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

Joe Borowski pitched a perfect ninth, and the Florida Marlins' other relievers were pretty good, too.

The bullpen limited Milwaukee to one hit and no runs in seven innings Friday night, and the Marlins rallied for their fifth consecutive victory, 6-5.

Brian Moehler (7-8) pitched four innings, Taylor Tankersley escaped a jam in the eighth and Borowski closed out the victory for his 30th save in 33 chances.

"We dug ourselves a hole early, but the bullpen was outstanding," manager Joe Girardi said.

Mike Jacobs doubled home a run in the first, then hit a two-run double in the third to help the Marlins overcome a 5-2 deficit.

"The whole year we've never really let a lead get us down," Jacobs said.

Brewers Sweep Rockies With 12-6 Win

2006-08-24T22:55:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

Tomo Ohka told Ned Yost he was planning to hit left-handed for the first time.

"I thought, `Man, as bad as you're swinging, just do whatever you want,"' the Milwaukee manager said. "Four RBI later, he had a nice day."

Ohka drove in a career-high four runs and Prince Fielder hit a three-run homer as Milwaukee beat Colorado 12-6 Thursday and extended the Rockies' losing streak to six.

"It's just one game," Ohka said. "But I'm going to keep doing that."

Ohka (4-3), a right-handed pitcher, drove in runs in his three plate appearances. After swinging for the fences on the first pitch of his first at-bat and doing a pirouette, he hit the mitt of catcher Danny Ardoin on his next swing, and Geoff Jenkins scored on the catcher's interference.

"I was so glad he hit the catcher's glove his first time up," Yost said. "I was just hoping that he wouldn't hit the ball because I figured he'd hit into a double play, so I was just actually just hoping he would strike out there."

Ohka, who has been tinkering with swinging left-handed in batting practice, had a two-run single in the third, a slow roller on an 0-2 count that got past shortstop Clint Barmes and put the Brewers ahead 7-0. Ohka added an RBI single to center in the fifth for an 8-3 lead.

Hitting right-handed, Ohka is a .130 batter in his career (30-for-230) with 11 RBI. He raised his batting average on the season from .087 to .160.

"I just tried to hit it up the middle," Ohka said.

Rockies manager Clint Hurdle praised Ohka's effort to make himself more comfortable at the plate.

"Give him a little credit," Hurdle said. "He's doing it for a reason: He thinks he's better."

Dating to his previous start, Ohka retired 21 straight batters before Jamey Carroll's single starting the fourth. Ohka wound up allowing six runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings. He gave up Todd Helton's two-run homer in the fourth, Fogg's RBI double in the fifth and Brad Hawpe's three-run homer in the sixth.

"It was my best day for my swinging, but not for the pitching," Ohka said.

Brewers Beat Rockies Again 7-1

2006-08-23T23:48:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

Milwaukee manager Ned Yost knew Ben Sheets was ready from the way the pitcher completed his pregame warmup.

"He turned the last couple of balls loose and they had a lot of life to it," Yost said. "We figured he'd have a pretty good night."

Sheets threw seven sharp innings and Prince Fielder drove in two runs to lead the Milwaukee Brewers over the Colorado Rockies 7-1 Wednesday night.

Tony Graffanino also had two RBI for Milwaukee, which won for the fourth time in five games to move within 4½ games of Cincinnati in the NL wild-card race.

"If we're going to make a good run at this we're going to need Sheets," Graffanino said. "He threw the ball great again. We'd like to keep him just the way he is, see him go out there every five days and throw just like that."

Sheets (4-5) struck out seven, and allowed six hits and one run, bouncing back from one of his worst starts of the season. Houston got to him for seven runs and 10 hits in seven innings to beat the Brewers 7-3 last Thursday.

"I pitched more aggressively," Sheets said. "I'm not a cute pitcher. There's no way around it. That's who I am tonight."

Brewers Beat Rockies 4-1

2006-08-22T23:42:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

For Milwaukee manager Ned Yost, it's more important to play winning baseball than worry about the NL wild card.

Chris Capuano won for the first time since July 6, and the Brewers beat Colorado 4-1 Tuesday night to send the fading Rockies to their fourth straight loss.

"We've still got some work ahead of us," Yost said. "We got to get to .500 first before we can focus on the rest of that stuff. We're focused on winning."

Milwaukee (60-65) trails Cincinnati, the NL wild-card leader, by 5½ games. Colorado (59-66) is 6½ back of the Reds.

"We've been kind of spinning our wheels a little bit for the last month," Capuano said. "We're just hoping to be the team that really makes that outstanding run, because that's what it's going to take to pull ahead."

Colorado, which has dropped into last place in the NL West, has lost 11 of 16 and is 5-16 on the road since the All-Star break.

"Offensively, we were challenged by a lot of people," manager Clint Hurdle said. "We've got to find a way to throw a punch back. We have to throw a team punch back tomorrow."

Laynce Nix, making his second start in center since being recalled Aug. 18 from Triple-A Nashville, had two hits and three RBI for the Brewers.

Capuano (11-8) gave up three hits in six scoreless innings. He escaped a bases-loaded, no-outs jam in the fourth when Yorvit Torrealba popped out, Ryan Spilborghs lined to third baseman David Bell and Luis Gonzalez hit a roller back to mound.

"He got himself in trouble. He got himself out of trouble," Hurdle said. "We weren't able to capitalize."

Selected for the NL All-Star team after the New York Mets' Tom Glavine bowed out because of an injury, Capuano had been 0-4 with three no decisions in his previous seven starts.

"The four or five starts prior to this one, I felt like I had thrown the ball well," Capuano said. "If I'm throwing the ball well and keeping the team in the game, that gives me satisfaction."

Jose Capellan followed Capuano with two scoreless innings, striking out his last five batters.

Matt Holliday homered off of Derrick Turnbow in the ninth, prompting boos from the crowd. After Garrett Atkins struck out, Torrealba lined a single up the middle that finished Turnbow's appearance.

Francisco Cordero got two outs for his 10th save in 10 chances since the Brewers acquired him from Texas on July 28, completing a five-hitter.

Seahawks Beat Colts 30-17

2006-08-20T23:41:00.000-05:00

From NFL.com:

All Matt Hasselbeck and Shaun Alexander had to do was keep pace with Indianapolis' starters. Done.

Leonard Weaver and the Seattle backups overwhelmed the rest of the Colts.

Weaver rushed for one touchdown, Mike Green returned an interception for another and Josh Brown kicked three field goals to give the defending NFC champions a 30-17 victory at Indianapolis.

"As bad as we were last week, that's how well we played today," Hasselbeck said. "What a difference it makes when you win a game, just the attitude, the energy in the locker room."

The game, which featured the NFL's last two MVPs -- Peyton Manning and Alexander -- for a little more than one quarter, had a distinctly preseason look to it.

Indianapolis, which has now lost eight straight preseason games and nine of 10 dating to 2004, tried an onside kick and a fake punt, and during one short span in the fourth quarter, the two teams traded possessions twice in three plays. By the end, only a smattering of fans remained in their seats.

The starters for both teams, however, looked sharp.

Alexander ran five times for 20 yards and set up the Seahawks first scoring drive. Hasselbeck completed 8 of 9 passes for 88 yards although he was sacked twice. It was enough to give Seattle a chance.

Brewers Lose To Astros 1-3

2006-08-20T18:39:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

The Houston Astros needed a good starting pitching performance Sunday after they used five relievers Saturday night. Luckily for them, they had Roger Clemens on the mound.

Clemens struck out seven in seven innings to get his 346th career win, leading the Astros over the Milwaukee Brewers 3-1.

Clemens (5-4) gave up six hits and one run to improve to 3-0 with a no-decision in his last four starts. He allowed just one runner past second base, lowering his ERA to 2.58, and threw 80 of his 108 pitches for strikes.

Astros manager Phil Garner was most impressed with Clemens' decision to pitch the seventh inning and save a weary, and struggling bullpen.

"What can you say about this guy?" Garner said. "I am continually amazed. ... There are just hundreds of pitchers out there you can't get another inning. They'll go out there and try it for you, but they don't get it done."

Clemens said he knew the significance of the seventh, in which he allowed a leadoff single before retiring the side in order and giving way to three relievers who did not allow another run. Dan Wheeler pitched the ninth for his fourth save -- a day after Houston pitchers combined to walk 11 and hit two batters in a 6-4 loss to Milwaukee.

"I knew ahead of time our guys have been used a lot out there in the bullpen," Clemens said. "I was just real fortunate to get the seventh under our belt, so we didn't have to use the guys too much."

Brewers Beat Astros Again 6-4

2006-08-19T23:28:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

Dave Bush took care of the offense himself Saturday night with the biggest hit of the game.

Bush pitched seven solid innings and capped a rally with a two-out, two-run single to lead the Milwaukee Brewers to a 6-4 win over the Houston Astros.

Bush (9-9) allowed four runs and eight hits with five strikeouts and no walks.

"Bushy pitched a good game," Brewers manager Ned Yost said. "To get us into the eighth inning was a great job."

Francisco Cordero, who has not allowed a run since being acquired July 28 from Texas in the Carlos Lee deal, recorded the final four outs for his ninth save.

The Brewers broke a third-place tie with Houston in the NL Central and trail wild-card leading Cincinnati by four games.

Houston's Willy Taveras extended his hitting streak to 22 games in the first with a single and scored the game's first run on a ground out by Mike Lamb.

Bush's single down the right-field line was one of only two hits in the four-run fourth inning for the Brewers.

"He's been 'raking' lately," Brewers shortstop Bill Hall said. "I was surpassed they got him out (tonight). Bases loaded, that was a big hit."

Brewes Walk It Off Against Astros In 3-2 Win

2006-08-18T23:24:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

Prince Fielder resisted the temptation to go for the home run and still came through with the decisive hit.

The rookie singled home the winning run in the ninth inning to lift the Milwaukee Brewers over the Houston Astros 3-2 Friday night.

"It's natural to want to try to hit a home run or try to do too much to get the job done," said Fielder, who was 0-for-3 with a walk before getting the big hit. "I was just trying to relax up there and trying to just let my natural ability take it over."

Brad Lidge (0-4) hit Mike Rivera with a pitch to start the Brewers' ninth. Jeff Cirillo then bunted right back to Lidge, but the ball scooted under the reliever's glove. Cirillo reached on the fielding error and Rivera took second. Corey Hart's fielder's choice forced Rivera at third and Cirillo moved up.

Lidge struck out Tony Graffanino and manager Phil Garner brought in Dan Wheeler to face Fielder, who hit the first pitch into right to score Cirillo.

"We're in a bind there," Garner said of his decision to go with Wheeler and not stay with Lidge. "He's had trouble with left-handers. I felt the best shot was to go with Wheeler and not give Prince too good of a pitch to hit."

Wheeler said the idea was to see if Fielder would chase a bad pitch.

"They told me it was low," Wheeler said of the location of the ball Fielder hit. "When it comes down to it, it wasn't low enough."

Francisco Cordero (1-0) got pinch-hitter Chris Burke to ground into an inning-ending double play in the ninth to get his first National League win. Cordero was acquired from Texas along with outfielder Kevin Mench on July 28 in the deal that sent Carlos Lee and Nelson Cruz to the Rangers.

Milwaukee's Brian Shouse walked Lance Berkman and Luke Scott in the ninth then struck out Aubrey Huff before Cordero entered.

"That's why they brought me here," Cordero said. "I come to the park every day ready to pitch."

Milwaukee starter Tomo Ohka gave up two runs in the second but settled down after that, holding the Astros to one hit before being lifted for pinch-hitter Geoff Jenkins with one out in the seventh.

Ohka, who missed 2½ months with a torn rotator cuff and was reinstated from the DL on July 18, allowed one earned run and four hits with a walk to lower his ERA from 5.45 to 4.73.

Brewers Lose To Astros, 3-7

2006-08-17T23:23:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

The Houston Astros put together an impromptu celebration in honor of Jason Hirsh's first major league victory: The pitching staff doused him with beer.

Hirsh allowed three runs in 5 1/3 innings, Lance Berkman and Aubrey Huff homered off Ben Sheets and the Astros beat the Milwaukee Brewers 7-3 Thursday night to stop a five-game losing streak.

Hirsh (1-1) gave up three hits, walked four and struck out five in his second big league start.

"The guys took care of me earlier, congratulated me," Hirsh said afterward.

"Like they were saying, only 299 more to go. We'll just take it one game at a time and see where it goes from here."

Houston scored three runs off Sheets (3-5) in the fifth to take a 5-2 lead. Willy Taveras singled with one out and Craig Biggio was hit by a pitch for the 281st time in his career, extending his major league record. Mike Lamb singled in Taveras and Luke Scott added a two-out, two-run triple to center.

"I was absolutely pathetic," Sheets said. "There was just nothing good about it. Nothing was good. I think every pitch got hit hard."

Magic Re-Sign Outlaw

2006-08-17T19:57:00.000-05:00

From The Orlando Sentinel:

The Orlando Magic re-signed free-agent forward Bo Outlaw, the team announced Wednesday. He is expecting to provide some depth and leadership on a very young but talented team this season.

Financial terms of his contract were not disclosed. Outlaw, a 13-year NBA veteran, rejoined the Magic last season and played just 32 games, averaging 2.3 points and 2.4 rebounds in 11.1 minutes.

Outlaw, 35, was with the Magic from 1997 to 2001, making 222 starts and averaging 7.3 points and 6.9 rebounds. He spent four seasons away, playing with the Memphis Grizzlies and Phoenix Suns before he returned in 2005.

A 13-year NBA veteran, Outlaw was undrafted by an NBA franchise. He has played in 871 career NBA regular season games averaging 5.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.36 blocks in 23.3 minutes per game. Outlaw has also appeared in 22 career playoff outings, averaging 3.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 18.9 minutes per game.

Prior to the 2005-06 campaign, Outlaw spent four-plus seasons (285 games-222 starts) with the Magic from 1997-2001, averaging 7.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.82 blocks and 1.31 steals in 31.0 minutes per game. Outlaw currently ranks on the Magic's all-time career list in blocked shots (2nd, 530), rebounds (5th, 2,054), steals (7th, 384), assists (10th, 761), games played (10th, 317) and minutes played (10th, 9,179). He was also recognized for his work in the Central Florida community with the Rich and Helen DeVos Community Enrichment Award in 2005-06, the second time he has received the honor (1998-99).

Brewers Take Series With 5-2 Extra Inning Win

2006-08-16T23:21:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

The Milwaukee Brewers have done plenty of losing in Pittsburgh over the years. Now, they've found a way to beat the Pirates -- by making sure reliever Damaso Marte gets into the game.

David Bell's bases-loaded single, his fourth hit of the game, drove in two runs in a three-run 13th inning against Marte and the Brewers rallied to beat the Pirates 5-2 Wednesday.

Six relievers combined to pitch seven shutout innings as the Brewers won the final two games of the three-game series after losing seven in a row in Pittsburgh over the last two seasons. The Brewers were 15-35 in PNC Park until winning twice in a 22-hour span, beating Marte each time.

"We've had problems here in the past, so it's nice to come in here and take two of three," Brewers starter Chris Capuano said.

Geremi Gonzalez (4-2) pitched a scoreless 12th for the victory and Francisco Cordero finished up for his eighth save in eight opportunities since being traded by the Rangers to the Brewers on Aug. 9. Cordero has yet to allow a run in 10 innings with Milwaukee, and has pitched in all but one of the Brewers' wins since they acquired him.

"That's what we needed there," catcher Mike Rivera said of the bullpen. "The key is pitching, and they did a great job."

Marte's wildness quickly got him into trouble in the 12th. After walking leadoff hitter Tony Graffanino, Marte (0-7) threw two wild pitches ahead of intentional walks to Bill Hall and Damian Miller. Bell's single made it 4-2 and Rivera added a second RBI single.

"The walk is going to get you there," Pirates manager Jim Tracy said. "That deep into the bullpen, that deep into the game, you've got to get us into the dugout with an opportunity to win the game."

Capuano is winless in seven starts since being chosen for the NL All-Star team, but made a second consecutive strong start by giving up two runs -- one earned -- in six innings. He was coming off a 2-1 Brewers loss Friday to Atlanta in which he didn't figure in the decision.

Capuano was giving up an average of nearly one home run every three innings since the break -- 11 homers in 36 1/3 innings -- but kept the ball in the park for the first time in those seven starts. He and the relievers also kept Jose Castillo hitless in five at-bats, striking him out three times.

Castillo began the game with a .650 average (13-for-20), five homers and 16 RBI in six home games against the Brewers this season.

"We went back to the drawing board and tried some different things against Castillo, who's hurt us quite a bit, and today it worked," Capuano said.

Brewers Beat Pirates 6-3

2006-08-15T23:20:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

The Milwaukee Brewers finally found a way to win in Pittsburgh.

The Brewers, who had lost five in a row at PNC Park and were 15-35 there since the stadium opened six years ago, rallied to beat the Pirates 6-3 Tuesday night.

Doug Davis pitched seven effective innings, Corey Hart homered and Tony Graffanino hit a two-run double for the Brewers, who won for only the second time in their last nine tries against Pittsburgh.

"I felt like I had to prove something for our team to get a win and break this streak they're on," Davis said.

Jose Bautista hit a two-run homer for Pittsburgh, which had its four-game winning streak snapped. It was the Pirates' first home run with a runner on base in three weeks. Pittsburgh had hit 14 consecutive solo shots since Burnitz's three-run drive July 25 in Milwaukee.

"We did everything we could tonight - they just beat us," said Pirates manager Jim Tracy, whose team loaded the bases with one out in the ninth before Francisco Cordero got Jeromy Burnitz to ground into a game-ending double play.

After Bautista's shot in the seventh gave Pittsburgh a 3-2 lead, Graffanino doubled and Prince Fielder singled off Damaso Marte (0-6) to start the eighth, putting runners at the corners.

Kevin Mench's weak groundout against Salomon Torres drove in Graffanino, and Bill Hall's single scored Fielder for a 4-3 lead.

"I told the guys I tried to hit it as far as I could," Mench joked. "It was probably the shortest-hit ball I've had since I got here, but it got the job done. Put the ball in play and you can score a run."

Graffanino added a two-run double in the ninth before Cordero's save, his seventh in nine opportunities since being acquired from Texas on July 28.

"Knowing the arms we've got in the bullpen," Bautista said, "I thought we pretty much had it in the fridge -- but it was just one of those nights."

Brewers Drop Opener to Pirates, 2-4

2006-08-14T23:19:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

For the first time in almost two years, Jason Bay was not in the starting lineup for the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday night.

It didn't seem to matter for the suddenly streaking Pirates.

Jeromy Burnitz and Jose Castillo had solo home runs as the Pirates won their fourth straight game, 4-2 over the Milwaukee Brewers.

Victor Santos (5-7) was effective enough in making his first start since June 15 in place of Shawn Chacon for Pittsburgh, which was without Bay in the lineup for the first time since September 4, 2004.

"Of course you want to have him in your lineup," manager Jim Tracy said of the All-Star outfielder. "But with some of the players we have now, you can feel good about the lineup we put out there even when a guy like Jason is not playing. That shows where we are as a ballclub now."

Bay's streak of 307 consecutive games played ended after he strained his right hamstring while stretching before Sunday's game against St. Louis, when the Pirates completed a sweep of the first-place Cardinals.

It was the fourth-longest active streak in the majors.

Brewers Outdone by Braves in 4-7 Loss

2006-08-13T23:09:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

It's difficult to remain in contention for a National League playoff spot while carrying the league's worst home record.

The Atlanta Braves hope more success at home will push them closer to the top spot in the wild-card race.

Brian McCann homered and drove in four runs to help the Braves beat the Milwaukee Brewers 7-4 Sunday for their first home series win in more than a month.

"Maybe we can get on that streak we keep talking about," manager Bobby Cox said.

"We want to get back in this thing. That's what we're here for. We're going to battle down to the end."

The Braves, who improved to 25-31 at home, are six games behind Cincinnati in the wild-card race. The Reds beat the Phillies 7-5 in 11 innings Sunday.

By winning two of three from the Brewers, the Braves won their first home series since winning three of four from the Reds July 6-9 at Turner Field. Still, the Braves were only 3-3 in the homestand.

Seahawks Lose 1st Preseason Game 3-13

2006-08-12T23:10:00.000-05:00

From NFL.com:

Reigning league MVP Shaun Alexander rushed six times for 13 yards before leaving with the rest of the defending NFC champions' starting offensive backs and receivers early in the second quarter. Matt Hasselbeck was 4-of-6 for 43 yards passing.

His backup, Seneca Wallace, played until midway through the fourth quarter and was 11-of-17 for 117 yards. He was sacked four times.

Seattle's first-team offense, which led the league in scoring last season, gained 56 yards on 14 plays and scored three points.

"That wasn't us out there," Hasselbeck said.

Coach Mike Holmgren said: "On the whole, I thought we were a little bit sloppier than we have been in other first preseason games.

"I was a little disappointed, to be honest."

Anthony Fasano, Dallas' second-round pick in the draft, started at H-back. A Romo pass sailed high through his hands to end the opening drive.

That play included Seattle safety Ken Hamlin 's first true hit since he fractured his skull in an October street fight -- a first that Holmgren had acknowledged he was anxious to see. Hamlin came in late on Fasano and pushed his hands and head at the rookie's face.

"I'm all right," Hamlin said. "I was fooling around, having fun. This was just a tease for the regular season."

Brewers Beat Braves 8-5

2006-08-12T23:07:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

Ben Sheets felt just fine this time. He always seems to perk up when facing the Atlanta Braves.

After lasting only one inning in his last start, Sheets made it to the eighth Saturday night for the Milwaukee Brewers, who got homers from Bill Hall and Prince Fielder in an 8-5 victory over the Braves.

Sheets improved to 5-1 with a 3.02 ERA in his last six starts against the Braves, piling up 60 strikeouts in 44 2/3 innings.

"It wasn't great, but it was good," he said. "I'm taking it start by start."

Sheets (3-4) has been slowed all season by injuries. He left his previous appearance after the first when his right pectoral muscle tightened up, and the Brewers sent an extra pitcher to warm up before the game just in case he had more problems.

Not to worry. Sheets retired the first nine hitters before Pete Orr led off the fourth with a double. By then, the Brewers already had a 5-0 lead.

"He doesn't look like he came off a pectoral muscle (injury) or whatever," Atlanta's Jeff Francoeur said. "He looks like he's fine. I still say he's got the best curveball in the league, by far. We just weren't able to jump on it at all until a little later in the game."

Sheets tired in the eighth, giving up three hits on three pitches to start things off, and the Braves pushed across three runs to close to 7-5. But Francisco Cordero struck out Francoeur with the bases loaded and Tony Graffanino provided some insurance with an RBI double in the ninth.

"It wasn't much of a setback in his last start. He just felt a slight little strain," manager Ned Yost said. "This is the way Benny is capable of pitching. That last one was just a bump in the road. I'm not surprised he came back strong."

Brewers Lose To Braves 1-2

2006-08-11T23:06:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

Jeff Francoeur loves to be at the plate with runners on late in the game. Add a struggling reliever to the mix, and the Braves slugger is tough to get out.

Francoeur hit an RBI double off Derrick Turnbow in the bottom of the ninth inning Friday night and John Smoltz pitched a five-hitter to help the Braves beat the Milwaukee Brewers 2-1.

Francoeur leads the Braves with 10 game-winning RBI. Adding to his knack for dramatic production in clutch situations, he has five game-winning hits in the final at-bat.

"He's got the flair," Smoltz said of Francoeur. "He wants so bad to be in that situation that I think sometimes he tries too hard. You want a guy to be like that in that situation. You'd be surprised how many guys treat that situation totally different."

Francoeur said he wanted to atone for failing to deliver in similar situations as the Braves lost two of three in Cincinnati a week ago.

"I love it," Francoeur said of facing the pressure in the bottom of the ninth.

"I thought when I got up, here's a chance to atone a little bit for Cincinnati for the team and for John, for Bobby (Cox). We've been playing hard."

Cortez Kennedy To Be Inducted Into Ring Of Honor

2006-08-11T22:11:00.000-05:00

From Mike Kahn at Seahawks.com:

There is no truth to the rumor that the tremors felt during the delirium of the Seattle Seahawks NFC Championship win over the Carolina Panthers in January was the result of Cortez Kennedy jumping up and down with excitement.

Sure, he’s heavier than the 306 pounds he was listed as weighing during his 11 seasons with the Seahawks. But that’s not to underestimate how excited he was at the game, despite having retired in 2000.

He’s always been part of the Seahawks family, and Friday it was announced he will become an even more prominent member when he becomes the 10th member of the Seahawks Ring of Honor, with his No. 96 retired and emblazoned with the others at Qwest Field.

“Sixteen years later, to become a member, I don't know what to say," Kennedy said. "I love the Seahawks. And we're going back to Miami for the Super Bowl."

Brewers Finish Series With 8-6 Win

2006-08-11T00:23:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

Doug Davis is disappointed he didn't adjust his delivery any earlier.

Davis won his third straight decision Thursday, leading the Milwaukee Brewers over Chicago 8-6 and handing the Cubs consecutive losses for the first time in nearly three weeks.

"This game is a game of adjustments," he said. "Wish I could have made the adjustment about 20 starts ago."

Brewers pitching coach Mike Maddux suggested a mechanical change that caused Davis to alter how he rotates his upper body and close off his shoulder.

"I was hitting my spots and had better control," he said after striking out eight in seven innings, allowing four runs, eight hits and three walks.

It also helped that Davis (8-6) was given a seven-run lead. and he improved to 3-0 in his last four starts despite a 6.09 ERA. He got out of trouble in the third when he struck out Phil Nevin and Jacque Jones with the bases loaded.

"It all revolves around your starting pitching," Brewers manager Ned Yost said after his team took two of three from the Cubs.

Brewers Bounce Back in 6-3 Win

2006-08-09T23:24:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

Dave Bush was just wild enough to keep the Chicago Cubs off stride.

Bush took a no-hit bid into the sixth inning and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Cubs 6-3 Wednesday night to stop a three-game losing streak.

"Bushie had good stuff," Milwaukee manager Ned Yost said. "He was effectively wild. He had trouble commanding his stuff at times, but made huge pitches when he needed to.

"He wasn't razor sharp ... but did a great job."

Bush (8-8) allowed three hits in eight innings, giving up his first when Juan Pierre beat out an infield single to shortstop with one out in the sixth. Michael Barrett was hit by a pitch with two outs, and Aramis Ramirez homered off the left-field foul pole, his 26th of the season.

"It wasn't enough," Ramirez said. "We were down six runs. It was a three-run home run to keep us in the game, but we just couldn't come back."

Cesar Izturis got the Cubs' other hit, a sharp single to right with two outs in the eighth.

Carlos Zambrano (12-5) lost his second consecutive start after going 9-0 with two no-decisions in June and July. He gave up six runs -- four earned -- five hits and four walks in 4 2-3 innings.

"I was feeling good today," Zambrano said. "I just left some pitches in the middle and we paid for that."

Zambrano had been 10-0 in 15 road starts since losing to the New York Mets on Aug. 7, 2005.

Staked to a 6-0 lead, Bush won at Miller Park for the first time since June 6 -- he had been 0-3 in four starts and one relief appearance. He struck out six, walked one and threw 103 pitches.

"I was aware of it," Bush said of his 5 1-3 hitless innings. "I was doing the best I could to get quick outs."

Bush hit Ramirez on the wrist on a pitch in the fourth, drawing a warning from plate umpire Ed Hickox. The right-hander said he wasn't trying to hit Ramirez, but had trouble locating pitches at times.

"Sometimes it's to your advantage," Bush said of his wildness. "Sometimes it helps a little bit."

Francisco Cordero pitched a perfect ninth for his fourth save in four chances since Milwaukee acquired him from Texas on July 28.

Brewers Lose 3-6 To Cubs

2006-08-08T23:26:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

The Chicago Cubs came through with two outs.

Jacque Jones and John Mabry each hit two-out, two-run homers in the first inning, and Jones made a leaping-bases loaded catch to end the sixth in the Cubs' 6-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night.

The Cubs scored all of their runs with two outs.

"We're just playing better as a team in those situations," Jones said. "Before, we weren't getting guys in, getting guys over and doing the job. It seems like guys are starting to relax a little bit more and letting the game come to us."

In the first game of a nine-game trip following an 8-3 homestand, the Cubs gave starter Carlos Marmol (5-5) all the runs he needed before he took the mound.

"I think that was huge for Carlos today to get that run support early," Cubs catcher Michael Barrett said. "That way, he could settle a little bit and pitch."

Ryan Dempster saved his 22nd game in 27 chances, dropping the Brewers a season-high eight games below .500.

Brewers Don't Show Up In 1-7 Loss

2006-08-06T21:34:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

A day after the St. Louis Cardinals ended their second eight-game losing streak this season, Jeff Suppan kept them from starting a new one.

Suppan allowed four hits in 7 1/3 innings and Juan Encarnacion hit a three-run homer, helping the Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Brewers 7-1 Sunday.

"Everybody should be feeling more comfortable at this point," Encarnacion said. "There's no better feeling than when you win."

Scott Rolen added a two-run homer for the Cardinals, who took two of three from the Brewers and are 17-8 against them the last two seasons. St. Louis leads the NL Central by 3½ games entering a four-game series at second-place Cincinnati.

"If you look at our season, we've done more good things than bad," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "I think we're coping with it really well. But believe me, you don't have those two losing streaks and guys are whistling, 'What's the big deal?'"

Suppan (9-6) matched his season high with seven strikeouts and walked one, allowing only three singles before Mike Rivera homered leading off the eighth. He is 12-2 with a 3.53 ERA against the Brewers, including 5-0 since the start of 2005, but noted he allowed five runs in four innings against them on June 11.

"I know I've had some good games against them," Suppan said. "But my last outing they really took a different approach and got quite a few runs off me."

Brewers Can't Come Back in 3-4 Loss

2006-08-05T23:32:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

Tony La Russa was in the dugout cursing the baseball gods when Prince Fielder hit a ball off the end of his bat with the bases loaded that appeared certain to fall.

The St. Louis Cardinals led by a run in the sixth inning, and their manager dreaded more adversity for a team trying to end its second eight-game losing streak of the season. Somehow center fielder Jim Edmonds swooped in, gloving the ball just before it hit the grass, saving a lead and helping the team end the slide with a 4-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday night.

"That play Jim Edmonds made is as good of a play as he's made since he's been here," La Russa said. "That ball falls, they've got the lead. The ball gets by him, they've got the lead maybe by two.

"I still don't know how he got there."

Scott Rolen's RBI double in the first gave the Cardinals their first lead in six games and Albert Pujols' 34th home run, his first homer since July 25, was a two-run shot in the third. Ronnie Belliard added an RBI single in the third for a 4-0 lead, and the bullpen worked four scoreless innings with Jason Isringhausen getting the last three outs for his 29th save.

When shortstop David Eckstein squeezed Kevin Mench's popup to end the game, the relieved home crowd gave the Cardinals a standing ovation. For the first time in a long while, loud music blared in the clubhouse.

Brewers pitcher Ben Sheets left after one inning because of tightness in a pectoral muscle. Sheets (2-4) has been limited to seven starts this season due to injuries and said he wasn't hurt on a particular pitch.

Sheets said the feeling reminded him of cramping that led to a torn back muscle that ended his season last August.

"It wasn't too bad throwing as much as in between pitches it felt like a cramp in there," Sheets said. "It kind of became eerily similar to last year's cramp that I tried to go through and we all know the rest of that story."

Geoff Jenkins hit a two-run homer for the Brewers, his 10th of the year and first since July 16. Jenkins entered the game in a 3-for-30 slump.

Brewers Beat Cardinals 4-3

2006-08-04T23:31:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

Chris Carpenter failed to prevent the St. Louis Cardinals' losing streak from reaching eight games, matching a slump they endured in June.

The 2005 NL Cy Young winner left Friday night's game with an injury to the thumb on his pitching hand that put a scare into a team already on the skids. His right thumb was swollen, although X-rays indicated no break, after a 4-3 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.

"He took that ball right off the top of his thumb and he's got quite a bit of swelling," manager Tony La Russa said. "That's the bigger issue, even above losing the game."

Prince Fielder went 3-for-4 with a two-run home run and Tony Graffanino had three hits and an RBI to help the Brewers beat Carpenter, who was on the mound the night the Cardinals stopped their earlier eight-game skid.

La Russa was somewhat consoled by the fact his team shaved an early three-run deficit to one. The Cardinals lost 8-1 to Philadelphia on Thursday, but missed an opportunity to end the slump by going 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position on Friday.

"What's better, going 1-2-3 and out like we've been doing or having a chance to drive some in?" La Russa said. "I'd take getting them on base and getting a few home."

Doug Davis (7-6) worked into the sixth and Dan Kolb rescued him from a bases loaded jam to end that inning. Francisco Cordero got the last three outs for his third save in as many chances with Milwaukee, which has won four of six.

"I'm not really ever worried about the other team, really," Fielder said. "I just worry about our team. If we do things right, it really doesn't matter what they do."

Brewers Struggle In Series Finale

2006-08-03T08:54:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

The Milwaukee Brewers' lineup struggled to figure out Byung-Hyun Kim. A lot of hitters have had that problem recently.

Kim allowed one run in eight innings and Todd Helton homered and drove in three runs to lead the Colorado Rockies over the Brewers 8-2 Wednesday night.

"When he can get the ball in the spots he wants, he's tough," Colorado manager Clint Hurdle said of Kim. "He has some deception and his pitches have some late life."

Kim (7-6) yielded seven hits, struck out five and didn't walk a batter in the longest outing of his career. He has allowed only four runs in 33 innings over his last five starts at Coors Field, an ERA of 1.09 over than span.

Kim set his previous mark for longest outing with 7 2/3 innings in a win over San Diego in his last start on Friday.

"Kim was the difference and his velocity was deceptive," Milwaukee manager Ned Yost said. "The board had him at 88 mph, but from the dugout he seemed to be throwing 95."

Brewers Beat Rockies 1-0

2006-08-02T08:41:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

Jeff Cirillo sank heavily into the chair at his locker, shrugged his shoulders, tilted his head and raised his eyebrows.

"Do you believe me now?" begged his body language.

Hours after suggesting illegal, waterlogged baseballs were being used at Coors Field, accounting for the dramatic decline in scoring at the ballpark formerly known as "Coors Canaveral," the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Colorado Rockies 1-0 on Tuesday night.

It was just the fourth 1-0 game in the stadium's 12-year history but the third this year at what is fast becoming just another pitcher's park.

"Another coincidence?" Cirillo asked. "Don't get me wrong (David) Bush and (Josh) Fogg pitched great. But two guys with a 5.00 ERA pitching a 1-0 game?"

Another raise of the eyebrows - fitting, because his comments assuredly did the same across baseball Tuesday night.

Teams are combining to average a record low 9.09 runs a game at Coors, a 33 percent decrease from its heyday a decade ago, and there have always been grumbling about the humidor since its introduction five years ago at Coors Field to keep baseballs from drying up and shrinking in Denver's thin air.

But Cirillo was the first to publicly suggest that the baseballs are waterlogged, preventing them from leaving the ballpark with their usual regularity in the mile-high altitude.

"I don't feel anything different. The ball feels the same in my hands," said Bush, who allowed five singles over six innings.

Damian Miller's RBI single in the seventh was the only scoring in the major league-leading 11th shutout at Coors Field.

"I remember how it used to be, and yeah, I think the numbers speak for themselves," Colorado's Todd Helton said. "There's a difference, but we are competing every game, so that's OK. I think the park plays a lot better. Pitchers throw better games, the pace of games is the way it should be.

"Selfishly, I'd like to see the ball fly a little bit more, but I'm all right with it."

Bush (7-8) hit two batters and struck out two. Francisco Cordero, who came to the Brewers last Friday in a trade with Texas, got the final four outs for his second save.

Magic Hire Nick Anderson!!

2006-08-01T23:09:00.000-05:00

From Tim Povtak at The Orlando Sentinel:

The Orlando Magic took a big step Monday in their recent embrace-the-past movement by hiring all-time leading scorer Nick Anderson, their first draft pick in 1989.

Anderson played 10 seasons with the Magic and scored 10,650 points before being traded to the Sacramento Kings in 1999.

"I'm going to be a goodwill ambassador," said Anderson, who obviously was excited about his new position. "I'm back home where I started, and where I belong. This is something I've wanted to do for a long time.''

Anderson has been living in the Atlanta area since he retired from the NBA in 2002, but he has remained popular with many of the Magic fans who followed the team in the early years.

He was one of three earlier-era players the Magic honored last season, joining Dennis Scott and Scott Skiles in having a banner hung in their honor at TD Waterhouse Centre.

"Maybe my face will bring back some fans,'' he said. "I'm a community man. Always have been, always will be. I love this place. It's like my family.''

Anderson, a 6-foot-6 shooting guard, averaged 15.4 points in Orlando. He was key in the Magic's finest season when they reached the 1995 NBA Finals, teaming with Shaquille O'Neal, Penny Hardaway, Horace Grant and Scott to form a very young but very potent lineup.

He is best remembered for two contrasting playoff moments that year. In the semifinal round of Game 1 against the Chicago Bulls, he stole the ball in the closing seconds from Michael Jordan, leading to a thrilling victory that set the tone for the series. In Game 1 of the NBA Finals, though, he missed four consecutive free throws in the closing seconds against the Houston Rockets, costing his team a victory and leading to a four-game sweep.

Anderson had made a couple of appearances for the Magic recently in a trial role. The Magic were impressed with the way he was received. He will play a major part in their Summer Tour that will make stops in Tampa, Cocoa Beach, Daytona Beach, DeLand and Leesburg in the coming weeks.

Brewers Lose To Rockies 2-4

2006-07-31T23:39:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

The bullpen doors opened only once all night, the vendors in the stands had to really hustle and the players hardly had a chance to get any rest between innings.

Aaron Cook won for the first time in a month and the Colorado Rockies beat Chris Capuano and the Milwaukee Brewers 4-2 Monday night in the fastest nine-inning game in the 12-year history of Coors Field.

"It was so quick that I couldn't catch my breath between innings," Brewers shortstop Bill Hall said after the game that lasted 2 hours, 6 minutes. "I'd barely sit down in the dugout and I'd have to go back out."

Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said he never imagined he'd witness such a fast game at Coors Field.

"In my first few years here, we'd be in about the fifth or the sixth. We'd be coming up with new game plans and figuring out how many relievers we had left and how we were going to go after it," Hurdle said. "But the game has changed here.

"Plus, both those guys don't mess around. They don't spend any time on the grass or on the dirt. They're making pitches, throwing strikes. That was the best-pitched game I've ever seen here."

Jennings Signs And Gets To Practice

2006-07-30T23:25:00.000-05:00

From Jose Miguel Romero at The Seattle Times:

The Seahawks have agreed to terms of a contract with first-round draft pick Kelly Jennings, according to several sources and reports.

Jennings has arrived in Cheney for training camp this morning, where he is to sign his contract and likely be on the field for this afternoon's practice session.

The deal is believed to be worth a total of $9.5 million over five years, with $5 million in guaranteed money, according to FOXsports.com.

Jennings, a cornerback from Miami, missed the rookie workout Friday and both practices Saturday, as well as this morning's practice.

"I'm glad he's in and we're counting on him this year, so he's got to get going," coach Mike Holmgren said of Jennings.

Brewers Hold On To Win 4-3

2006-07-30T23:24:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

Ben Sheets wanted to finish his first win since coming off the disabled list. Francisco Cordero made everything all right in the end.

Sheets allowed two runs in eight-plus innings, Kevin Mench drove in four runs and Cordero got one out for his first save with his new club, leading the Milwaukee Brewers over the Cincinnati Reds 4-3 Sunday.

"Ben Sheets was outstanding," Reds manager Jerry Narron said. "It was one of the best games we've seen all year."

Sheets carried a five-hit shutout into the ninth but Adam Dunn singled and Ken Griffey Jr. followed with his 21st homer of the season to chase the right-hander from the game.

"To battle back like that after the day Ben Sheets had against us was outstanding," Narron said.

Brewers manager Ned Yost pulled Sheets against his wishes.

"Benny didn't want to come out of the game," Yost said. "It made no sense to push him."

The Brewers then inserted Derrick Turnbow, who saved Milwaukee's 6-3 victory Saturday night after blowing four straight save opportunities. Rich Aurilia greeted him with a home run to cut it to 4-3.

Yost pulled Turnbow after the Reds put runners on first and third with two outs. Pinch-runner Brandon Watson stole second but Cordero got pinch-hitter David Ross to ground out for his first save with Milwaukee.

The Brewers acquired Cordero and Mench on Friday in the deal that sent All-Star outfielder Carlos Lee to the Texas Rangers. Cordero, who was a closer and then a setup man for Texas, said whatever the Brewers want him to do is fine.

"If I'm going to contribute to the team in any way, that's what I'm going to do," he said.

Sheets (2-3) struck out 10 and issued one intentional walk in his second start since being reinstated off the disabled list last week. He was on the DL for 2 1/2 months with tendinitis in his right shoulder.

"I don't care about the decision," said Sheets, who beat Atlanta on April 26 in his only other victory this season. "We needed a win bad."

The Brewers took two of three from the Reds and won for just the sixth time in 18 games.

"Two out of three, we needed to do that and we did it," Sheets said. "Hopin' that's a step in the right direction for what we want to do."

Sheets improved to 6-3 with a 2.36 ERA in 13 career starts against the Reds, his best ERA against any NL team. He gave up two runs in seven innings of a 3-1 loss to Cincinnati on April 21.

Mench singled in a run in the first. He hit a three-run drive in the seventh for his first homer with Milwaukee.

Brewers Beat Reds 6-3

2006-07-29T23:22:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

A couple of Milwaukee's newest players combined with some of its veterans to get the Brewers a much-needed win Saturday night.

Mike Rivera hit a tiebreaking RBI single, Prince Fielder added a solo homer and Milwaukee rallied to beat the Cincinnati Reds 6-3.

It was just the fifth victory in 17 games for Milwaukee, which snapped a three-game losing streak.

"The new additions all had big nights to get us off that little streak we were on," manager Ned Yost said. "Hopefully we'll start a new streak."

Derrick Turnbow worked the ninth for his 24th save in 32 chances and first since June 29th at Chicago. Turnbow had blown his previous four save opportunities for Milwaukee

"I'm glad I was able to get out of there and get the job done," Turnbow said. "It's been a while and it feels good."

Cincinnati led 3-0 after two innings but Bill Hall hit a two-run homer in the fourth to tie it. It was Hall's 24th homer of the season.

"When you have someone on the ropes early like that you need to take advantage of it and we didn't," Cincinnati manager Jerry Narron said. "The big thing tonight was we had a chance early to blow the game open and we didn't do it. We had a lot of chances."

David Bell, who was acquired from Philadelphia on Friday, doubled to snap a 0-for-15 streak and scored on Rivera's two-out single in the sixth to give Milwaukee a 4-3 lead. Rivera, recalled from Triple-A Nashville on July 6, went 2-for-4.

Geremi Gonzalez (3-2) pitched a perfect sixth inning to get the win and Fielder hit his 19th homer in the seventh.

Hall led off the eighth with a double and scored on a one-out single by pinch-hitter Gabe Gross to make it 6-3. Rich Aurilia, Scott Hatteberg and Royce Clayton each drove in a run for the Reds.

Milwaukee starter Doug Davis threw three scoreless innings after the Reds jumped out to a 3-0 lead. He allowed seven hits, struck out six and walked three.

"We did a good job early on Doug Davis," Narron said. "We got his pitch count up and we did everything we had to do except tack on some runs. We had a chance to knock him out and we just didn't do it."

Kevin Mench, acquired from the Rangers on Friday, drove in Milwaukee's first run with a single that scored Tony Graffanino, another new teammate, in the third.

"These guys are established big leaguers," Hall said. "They're not just coming in out of the minor leagues. They've been around for a while and know how to play the game. We expect them to come in here and do exactly what they've done."

Brewers Blow Another One In What Is Becoming A Common Theme

2006-07-29T00:14:00.000-05:00

From Adam McCalvy at MLB.com:

The Brewers made a flurry of acquisitions on Friday, but they suffered the same old result.

Ryan Freel hit an eighth-inning RBI double for the Reds, who rallied from a three-run deficit to a 4-3 win over the Brewers at Miller Park. Milwaukee lost for the 12th time in its last 16 games and dropped seven games behind the Reds in the National League Wild Card standings.

Jeff Cirillo hit a two-run double and Prince Fielder added an RBI single as the Brewers built a three-run, first-inning lead on the Reds and Eric Milton (7-6). But Cincinnati pushed ahead against reliever Matt Wise (5-5), who recorded the first two outs of the seventh before pinch-hitter Chris Denorfia singled and Freel knocked the game-winner down the left-field line.

The Reds got a run in the second inning and another in the fifth against Brewers starter Tomo Ohka. They tied the game at 3 in the sixth, when Ken Griffey, Jr. hit an RBI double off reliever Rick Helling that would have been a go-ahead hit had Brewers catcher Damian Miller not absorbed a crushing blow from burly Reds outfielder Adam Dunn, who tried, but failed, to score from first base.

Seahawks Release Huckeba

2006-07-28T23:24:00.000-05:00

From Seahawks.NET:

In a statement released by the team and first reported by Mike Sando of the Tacoma News Tribune, the Seahawks have released DE Jeb Huckeba on the eve of full participation in training camp. Huckeba, a second-year player who suffered stress fractures in both feet last August and was placed on injured reserve September 1st, failed a recent physical.

Drafted in the 5th round of the 2005 draft out of Arkansas, Huckeba was an all-SEC selection in 2004, and signed a three-year contract worth $1,045,500, including a $120,500 signing bonus.

Brewers Trade For Bell

2006-07-28T23:22:00.000-05:00

From Adam McCalvy at MLB.com:

The Brewers may be slumping since the All-Star break, but they're apparently not willing to cash in 2006 just yet.

Hours after announcing a blockbuster deal with the Rangers, the Brewers acquired veteran Phillies third baseman David Bell in a move that on one hand signified the team still has hopes of making a run at the National League Wild Card, and on the other meant potentially bad news for banged-up second baseman Rickie Weeks.

"Until someone tells us that we're not in a pennant race, we feel we are," Brewers general manager Doug Melvin said.

Headed to Philadelphia is 22-year-old right-hander Wilfrido Laureano, who has been in Milwaukee's Minor League system since 2001, but has not pitched above the Class A level. Bell is a free agent after the season, and the Brewers will have to pay him about $1.6 million over the next two months.

Brewers manager Ned Yost said he expects Bell to serve as the everyday third baseman. Jeff Cirillo will move back to the bench.

"He's a gamer. He plays hard," Phillies GM Pat Gillick said of the 33-year-old Bell. "That's the only way he knows how to play. I think he was somewhat surprised, but reacted in a professional manner. He's going to make every effort to be in Milwaukee [on Saturday] for their game with Cincinnati."

For that to happen, the Brewers will have to make two roster moves to get him onto the 25- and 40-man rosters. The team will likely place Weeks on the 15-day disabled list with a right wrist injury that is more serious than previously thought, and will shift shortstop J.J. Hardy to the 60-day DL. Hardy had season-ending surgery on his right ankle last week.

Brewers Trade Lee To Rangers In 6-Player Deal

2006-07-28T12:18:00.000-05:00

From Adam McCalvy at MLB.com:

It became clear to the Brewers on Thursday that free-agent-to-be Carlos Lee was going to walk. So in the wee hours Friday morning, they sent their best player packing.

The Brewers traded Lee and promising outfield prospect Nelson Cruz to the Texas Rangers for reliever Francisco Cordero, outfielders Kevin Mench and Laynce Nix and Minor League left-hander Julian Cordero. Lee was on the way to another career year -- he led the Brewers this season with 28 home runs and 81 RBIs -- but faced with the likelihood of losing him after the season and getting only compensatory draft picks in return, Brewers general manager Doug Melvin went shopping.

Mench presumably will replace Lee in left field and Francisco Cordero should help a bullpen that surely needs it. Nix and Julian Cordero were assigned to Minor League affiliates.

Melvin bunkered down with his top lieutenants at Miller Park on Thursday after Lee and his agent, Adam Katz, rejected an offer of four years and $48 million. The Brewers would have gone higher on the dollars but not the years, but Katz and Lee wanted a five-year commitment, something the Brewers were not willing to offer a player who turned 30 last month.

"The response from Carlos' representative was that we were too far apart to even counter," Melvin said. "When we got off the phone yesterday, we knew he was going to leave the Brewers."

Lee said repeatedly he wanted to re-sign with Milwaukee and that, "it's up to Doug Melvin," but according to several sources Lee may have been feeling pressure from Katz and the Players Association to help set the free agent market for marquee outfielders.

"It's frustrating and disappointing," said Brewers principal owner Mark Attanasio. "On a personal level, I was very fond of Carlos and obviously he's an enormously productive player. On the other hand, as I'm learning, this is a business."

Since the Brewers acquired him from the White Sox at the 2004 Winter Meetings, Lee had played in 264 straight games, 10 shy of Robin Yount's Brewers record. Lee has played in 275 straight games including the end of his last season in Chicago, the fifth-longest active streak in the Majors, and Lee is well on the way to his fourth straight 30-homer, 99-RBI season.

Seahawks Sign Tapp, Sims, & Obomanu

2006-07-27T23:05:00.000-05:00

From Seahawks.com:

The Seattle Seahawks have signed second-round draft choice (63rd overall) defensive end Darryl Tapp to a multi-year contract, the team announced Thursday afternoon. Tapp joins fourth-round draft pick G Rob Sims and seventh-round draft pick WR Ben Obomanu, who also signed Thursday.

Tapp played in 53 career games at Virginia Tech, recording 187 tackles and 23.5 sacks. He was named first-team All-America by the American Football Coaches Association as a senior.

Sims, drafted 128th overall, was an All-Big Ten Conference first-team selection his senior year at Ohio State. Obomanu, drafted 249th overall, finished his Auburn career ranked second in school history with 18 touchdown receptions.

Magic Re-Sign Ariza

2006-07-27T23:02:00.000-05:00

From OrlandoMagic.com:

The Orlando Magic have re-signed restricted free agent forward Trevor Ariza, General Manager Otis Smith announced today. Per team policy, terms of the deal are not disclosed.

Ariza (6’8”, 200, 6/30/85) played in 57 games with both the Magic and New York last season, averaging 4.6 ppg., 3.8 rpg., 1.1 apg. and 1.00 stlpg. in 17.5 minpg. He was traded to Orlando by the Knicks on Feb. 22, 2006, along with the expiring contract of Anfernee Hardaway, in exchange for Steve Francis. During 21 games with Orlando, Ariza averaged 4.7 ppg. and 3.9 rpg. in 13.8 minpg.

“We are very pleased to bring Trevor back, as he is a key part of our young core,” General Manager Otis Smith said. “His athleticism and explosiveness will be a great asset to our team on both ends of the floor.”

Last season, Ariza scored in double figures seven times (four with Orlando), including a season-high 13 points twice, the last time on Apr. 19 @ Indiana, when he also ripped down a career-best 12 rebounds. More active on the defensive end, Ariza recorded at least one steal in 33 games (11 with the Magic) and two-or-more steals 17 times.

“Trevor is a young player with a bright future and we are excited to have re-signed him,” added Head Coach Brian Hill. “He has the ability to be a shutdown-type defender and will add to the versatility of our team.”

Originally selected by New York during the second round (43rd overall) of the 2002 NBA Draft, Ariza has played in 137 career NBA regular season games with New York and Orlando, averaging 5.3 ppg., 3.4 rpg. and 1.1 apg. in 17.4 minpg.

Brewers Stink Again in 4-8 Loss To Pirates

2006-07-26T22:58:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

Granted, it was only the 13th road win of the year for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

But in an 8-4 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday, manager Jim Tracy was encouraged to see his team do some of the little things they didn't accomplish in a dismal first half of the season.

Like bringing runners home with two outs, as Pittsburgh did in a three-run, fifth-inning rally against Brewers All-Star Chris Capuano.

"These things that I've been talking about that we did a very good job of here in this series, picking up a base hit at the right time, it changes the perspective on a lot of things," Tracy said.

And a resilient outing by starter Paul Maholm, who recovered from a first-inning, three-run homer by Bill Hall to go seven innings for the victory (4-9).

"To rebound in the manner in which he did after the first three hitters of the game was terrific for a young kid to do that, and it's very encouraging to see that," Tracy said.

Sheets Pitches Great In Return, But Rest Of Team Sucks In 1-6 Loss

2006-07-25T22:32:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

Jeromy Burnitz hit a pair of home runs and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Milwaukee Brewers 6-1 Tuesday night to ruin Ben Sheets' strong return from the disabled list.

Sheets pitched seven innings, giving up only one run and retiring the final 14 batters he faced in his first appearance in nearly three months. Dave Bush (6-8) relieved him and allowed five runs in the eighth.

Ian Snell (9-6) matched Sheets, yielding one run and four hits in seven innings for the Pirates. He struck out nine and walked one.

Burnitz homered against Sheets in the second to give Pittsburgh a 1-0 lead but Prince Fielder hit a drive off Snell in the fifth to tie it. It was Fielder's 18th homer of the season.

Sheets left after seven and the Pirates jumped all over Bush. Nate McLouth hit a leadoff single and Jack Wilson bunted for a sacrifice, but Bush's throw to first was wild for an error, allowing the runners to advance to second and third.

Freddy Sanchez followed with a two-run single. One out later, Sean Casey singled and Burnitz then hit his 14th homer to make it 6-1.

In his last four appearances, Bush has given up 15 earned runs in 12 innings. The team's No. 5 starter, he has pitched out of the bullpen twice this month because the team has had days off and did not need him to start.

Sheets' outing still gave the Brewers plenty of reasons for hope, despite the loss. The right-hander, out since May 3 with tendinitis in his pitching shoulder, gave up six hits, struck out five and didn't walk a batter.

The Brewers believe they can make a run at the NL wild card with Sheets and right-hander Tomo Ohka back in the rotation. Both pitchers missed nearly three months while injured, and the team went 6-17 in games started by their replacements.

Ohka has made two starts this month, giving up only three earned runs in 13 innings.

Brewers Trade For Graffanino

2006-07-25T20:30:00.000-05:00

From John Sahly at MLB.com:

The Brewers announced a trade shortly before Tuesday's game. Pitcher Jorge De La Rosa has been traded to the Royals for infielder Tony Graffanino.

With infielders Corey Koskie and J.J. Hardy each on the disabled list, Hardy for the season, the Brewers were looking for an infielder to at the very least fill a role while Koskie remained on the shelf with post-traumatic concussion syndrome.

De La Rosa, currently on the disabled list, was 2-2 with an 8.60 ERA in 18 appearances for the Brewers this season.

Graffanino, who can play all four infield positions, was hitting .260 with five home runs and 32 RBIs for the Royals.

Brewers Hold On In Wild 12-8 Win

2006-07-24T23:20:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

Bill Hall's homers gave the Milwaukee Brewers some momentum as they get ready to welcome back their ace.

Hall hit two two-run homers and Carlos Lee had one as the Brewers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 12-8 on Monday night.

"We've got bigger things on our hands right now and that's getting back in this race," Hall said after the Brewers had 15 hits, one shy of their season high, and one more than the Pirates.

After the game, the Brewers activated right-hander Ben Sheets off the disabled list where he had been since early May with right shoulder tendinitis. He'll start Tuesday's game and be on a 100-pitch limit.

"A lot of good things are going our way," Hall said. "Hopefully, we can keep everyone healthy and make our run."

Doug Davis (6-6) allowed six runs and 10 hits in six innings as the Brewers (48-52) won for just the fourth time in the last 13 games.

The Pirates fell to 2-17 on the road against left-handers and 6-28 overall.

Zach Duke (7-9) had won his first two starts since the All-Star break, but failed to get out of the third inning against the Brewers.

In the third, Brady Clark singled, advanced on Davis' sacrifice and scored on second baseman Jose Castillo's fielding error. Victor Santos relieved Duke and the Brewers added another run on shortstop Jack Wilson's fielding error before Lee's two-run homer, his 28th of the season, made it 10-2.

Duke allowed eight runs -- six earned -- and eight hits in 2 1/3 innings. He walked one and struck out two in his shortest outing of this season.

"I didn't have control, and when you throw flat balls down the middle guys are going to hit it hard," Duke said.

Jason Bay's 23rd home run gave Pittsburgh a 2-0 lead in the first, but the Brewers sent nine men to the plate in the bottom of the inning and regained the lead 4-2 keyed by Hall's first two-run homer, his 21st of the season.

In the second, Jeff Cirillo and Prince Fielder had RBI singles to make it 6-2.

Hall's two-run homer off Santos in the fifth gave him his second career two-homer game and the Brewers a 12-3 lead.

"I got two good pitches to hit and drove them out of the ballpark," he said.

Brewers manager Ned Yost said the big lead was important.

"All in all, the bats were great tonight," Yost said. "It's nice to have a little bit of cushion so if you do make a mistake or two, you got it covered."

Brewers Salvage Disappointing Series With 4-1 Win

2006-07-23T19:51:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

Tomo Ohka bounced two pitches way in front of the plate -- one landed in the grass, the other in the dirt -- and threw another that registered 58 mph on the ballpark's radar gun.

Everything else was amazingly good.

In a sign that he has fully recovered from shoulder problems, Ohka allowed only three hits in eight innings Sunday, helping the struggling Milwaukee Brewers beat the Cincinnati Reds 4-1 to avoid a three-game sweep.

After two weeks of nothing but bad news, the Brewers needed a little relief. Ohka (3-1) gave it to them, along with a bullpen that has been their undoing.

"I understand what this means to the team," Ohka said.

It meant a lot, and provided a glimmer of hope that things can now get better.

Ohka gave up a pair of singles and Brandon Phillips' homer in the eighth, the deepest he has pitched into any game this season. The right-hander struck out a season-high seven and walked only one, throwing 110 pitches.

"We couldn't get a thing going against him," Reds manager Jerry Narron said. "I don't know. I'd like to say he changed speeds -- he threw one up there at 58 mph, threw one off the grass. He did what he had to do to get us out."

Brady Clark singled home a pair of runs off left-hander Eric Milton (6-6), and the Brewers tacked on two in the seventh against recently acquired reliever Gary Majewski -- a comforting cushion for the NL's worst bullpen.

"You want to get the early lead, but you also don't want to stop," Clark said. "You want to add to it. They can get five runs real quick here."

Milwaukee won for only the third time in 12 games, a slide that has dropped the Brewers from 2½ games out in the NL Central to a double-digit deficit. The bullpen has been the biggest problem -- closer Derrick Turnbow lost his job after another meltdown on Friday night that included a couple of four-pitch walks.

Dan Kolb, who will close games for now, pitched the ninth to earn his first save this season. With Turnbow watching from a bullpen bench, Kolb gave up two singles before retiring Scott Hatteberg on a comebacker for the final out.

"Kolb threw strikes -- just what we want our relievers to do to get groundballs," manager Ned Yost said.

Brewers Lose Another One To Reds, 7-8

2006-07-22T22:29:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

Bill Hall's two-run homer off Cincinnati's David Weathers tied it at seven in the sixth inning, the only bad moment for Reds relievers. Todd Coffey (6-4) got the last two outs in the eighth, and Eddie Guardado -- acquired in one of those trades -- pitched the ninth to remain perfect in five save chances with Cincinnati.

"Things are going our way right now, and hopefully they'll continue to go our way into October," Guardado said. "I've been lucky. There's still a long way to go. We're going to hit some bumps, but I don't want to make the bumps too big."

Milwaukee hit the wall.

The Brewers have lost nine of their last 11, falling a season-low six games under .500 at 46-52. They were only 2½ games out of first place in the NL Central before the slump, which has bumped them well back into a pack of wild-card contenders led by Cincinnati.

"Freel's the guy that got us," manager Ned Yost said.

The Reds had only their fourth sellout in 51 home games this season. The other three times they played in front of a full house, they lost.

Freel made this one turn out different. He led off the first inning with a homer off Dave Bush, and then hit the last of the five homers overall in the game.

"It's a lot more exciting when you get a bunch of fans out there hooting and hollering," said Freel, who also had a run-scoring single. "To have a sellout crowd and put on the show we did, that means a lot."

Joe Mays, who hadn't pitched in 16 days, gave up five runs in only 3 2/3 innings, including a three-run homer by Damian Miller. He looked away as he handed manager Jerry Narron the ball in the fourth inning, avoiding eye contact.

"I know it's not an ideal situation for him," Narron said. "He hadn't pitched in 16 days. But he's the fifth starter, and that's what you have to do -- perform in less-than-ideal circumstances."

Bush lasted only three innings in another rough night at Great American. Two of his shortest starts this season have come at the homer-friendly ballpark. Bush was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the fourth, having thrown 68 pitches.

"We came back and scored, but I just couldn't keep them off the scoreboard," Bush said.

That left it up to what were statistically the NL's two worst bullpens, although one of them has gotten much better lately. A pair of trades brought the Reds their current closer and relievers Bill Bray and Gary Majewski, calming the troubles.

Milwaukee's bullpen is last in the league, and not getting much better. Struggling Derrick Turnbow was pulled out of the closer's role after he helped the Reds rally for a 6-5 win on Friday night. Right-hander Dan Kolb will close games for now.

Brewers Blow Another Game In 5-6 Loss

2006-07-22T10:25:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

Ken Griffey Jr. dramatically ended his slump at the expense of a closer who finds things getting worse every time he gets to the mound.

Griffey's bases-loaded single in the bottom of the ninth inning sent the Cincinnati Reds to a 6-5 victory Friday night over the Milwaukee Brewers, who overcame a nearly three-hour rain delay at the outset but couldn't handle another meltdown by their closer.

The Brewers took a 5-3 lead into the ninth, but Derrick Turnbow (4-7) couldn't throw a strike, helping the Reds rally for their sixth victory in their eight games since the All-Star break.

"Wow," Griffey said. "It's been a long day. I'm glad it's over with."

This one ended at 1:15 a.m. EDT, with a few thousand fans in the stands and the Brewers expecting an entirely different outcome.

Instead, Turnbow blew his fifth straight save opportunity by giving up a leadoff single to Brandon Phillips, then loading the bases with one out on a pair of four-pitch walks. At that point, manager Ned Yost had seen enough.

He brought in left-hander Dana Eveland, who has one career save. Eveland walked Javier Valentin to force in a run, and the slumping Griffey -- 0-for-13 since his single last Sunday -- hit one into the gap in left-center that the discouraged outfielders didn't bother to chase.

There was no point.

"All I had to do was get a ball in the air and hit a sacrifice fly to tie it," Griffey said. "I just hit it in the gap."

It was the final straw for Yost, who plans to take Turnbow out of the closer's role for now.

"He's really fighting himself," Yost said. "We'll give him a break."

Turnbow didn't object when told of Yost's plans.

"I feel confident, but I'm not making confident pitches," Turnbow said. "I've got to find it. They haven't talked to me about it. I'll understand. I don't want to cost the team games."

Brewers Blow Lead in 6-7 Loss

2006-07-19T19:55:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

Turnbow (4-6) blew his fourth save in his last seven appearances and was so upset he declined to talk to reporters.

"He threw the ball well today," manager Ned Yost said. "The 2-2 pitch to Barry might have been a strike but it wasn't, because it's Barry. Finley's ball was a tough play. It had a strange hop."

Gabe Gross hit a three-run homer, Carlos Lee hit a two-run homer and Hall added a solo shot for the Brewers.

Tony Gwynn Jr. had a pinch-hit double in the Milwaukee ninth for his first major league hit. His father's first major league hit -- also a double -- came exactly 24 years earlier to the day, on July 19, 1982, for the Padres.

The younger Gwynn received a standing ovation when his accomplishment was announced between innings.

"He hit a double, too," said the rookie outfielder, who was told before the game that it was the anniversary of his dad's first hit.

Brian Wilson (1-0) pitched one inning for his first major league victory.

"I don't really think about wins," he said. "The whole game was a ton of emotion. We all felt we were going to win, even down five runs."

Lee connected in the first, sending the first pitch from Matt Morris over the wall in left-center for his 27th homer of the year. Hall led off the second with his 19th homer and second of this series, in which he drove in five runs.

Gross homered in the third and fans began booing Morris as the Brewers' hits total increased.

Brewers Lose To Giants 3-4

2006-07-19T01:52:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

Rookie Prince Fielder had his third straight three-hit game and drove in a run for Milwaukee, and Tomo Ohka pitched five solid innings in his return to the rotation. It was the right-hander's first start since May 1, when he left a game against Houston after partially tearing his right rotator cuff.

"I thought he pitched great," Brewers manager Ned Yost said. "He was back like he hadn't missed a beat."

With a runner on and one out in the sixth, Mark Sweeney just missed a home run that would have put the Giants ahead when the ball sailed just to the right of the right-field foul pole on its way into McCovey Cove. He singled moments later to move Pedro Feliz to third.

After Eliezer Alfonzo struck out, Alou hit for Wright and lined a double against Geremi Gonzalez (2-1) off the wall in center.

"Tonight is a good start for us," Sweeney said. "Hopefully we can get this to snowball in the right direction."

The Brewers took a 1-0 lead in the first on Fielder's RBI single that followed two stolen bases by Rickie Weeks. They scored on an error for their second run in the fourth that gave them a 3-2 lead.

Giants center fielder Randy Winn made a wild throw home on Bill Hall's RBI single. The ball bounced off Hall's bat, then Wright dropped the ball while backing up the plate.

Wright allowed eight hits and struck out five in six innings. Armando Benitez worked the ninth for his 12th save in 16 chances.

Vizquel helped Wright record two outs on the first three pitches of the third, a liner and groundout. In all, it was a five-pitch inning after Jenkins grounded out to first to end it.

Earlier Tuesday, the Brewers received the disappointing news that shortstop J.J. Hardy will have season-ending surgery on his injured right ankle as soon as Thursday.

The Brewers placed Hardy on the disabled list May 17 after he collided at home plate with Philadelphia catcher Sal Fasano. The sprain healed, but Hardy started having trouble with a tendon in the ankle.

Brewers Beat Giants 10-1

2006-07-18T01:46:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

The San Francisco Giants are struggling, their ace hasn't won in six weeks, and they soon could be dealing with slugger Barry Bonds being indicted.

Bill Hall hit a three-run homer, Mike Rivera added a two-run shot, and rookie Zach Jackson ended a four-start winless stretch in the Milwaukee Brewers' 10-1 victory over San Francisco on Monday night.

It was the Giants' third straight loss and they are 1-3 since the All-Star break.

"We just didn't look fresh coming back from the All-Star break," Giants manager Felipe Alou said. "Even when you take a break from a job for lunch for an hour or 30 minutes, you're supposed to come back fresh. We just don't look fresh."

Bonds, who could be indicted by a grand jury on perjury and tax evasion charges sometime this week, went 0-for-1 with two walks a day after hitting his 721st career home run in Sunday's 6-2 loss to Philadelphia. It was his first since July 7.

When Bonds climbed the dugout steps for batting practice before the game, he said: "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow. I'm too old for this." He turns 42 next Monday, and the Giants have that day off.

Bonds grounded out to second in the first and drew a six-pitch walk in the fourth and a five-pitch walk in the sixth -- his 79th free pass of the year -- before Todd Linden replaced him in left field in the eighth.

Carlos Lee doubled twice, drove in a run and scored for Milwaukee, which won consecutive road games for the first time since June 26-27 against the Chicago Cubs. Prince Fielder had a double in his three hits and added a sacrifice fly as the Brewers scored 10 or more runs in consecutive games for the first time since Aug. 24-25, 2003. They won 10-5 at Arizona on Sunday.

"Sometimes, it's just a matter of time," manager Ned Yost said.

Jackson (2-2) outpitched Giants ace Jason Schmidt with five strong innings for his second win of the season and first since June 12 at Cincinnati. Rick Helling, a former 20-game winner with Texas, pitched three scoreless innings of relief and worked of a bases loaded jam with no outs in the sixth.

"I was fighting myself a little bit," Jackson said. "I was trying to be aggressive, but I was able to make the pitches when I needed them."

Brewers Finally Beat D'Backs 10-5

2006-07-16T22:15:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

The Milwaukee Brewers finally got their offense going again, with Prince Fielder leading the way.

The big first baseman homered, doubled and singled to help the Brewers snap a five-game losing skid with a 10-5 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday.

Geoff Jenkins hit his first home run since April 17, a two-run shot off Claudio Vargas in the first inning, in a 16-hit Brewers' effort that ended the Diamondbacks' five-game winning streak. Corey Hart homered for only the third time in his career, second as a pinch hitter, for Milwaukee's 10th run.

Fielder hit his 17th home run, a booming drive to straightaway center leading off Milwaukee's three-run fourth, to tie the club record for most homers by a rookie. Greg Vaughn hit 17 for the Brewers in 1990.

"That's good, I guess," Fielder said. "Hopefully I can get some more. First, I just want to get some more hits."

He was 7-for-56 (.125) entering the game and hadn't had a multihit outing in 15 games. He also scored two runs against the Diamondbacks.

"I was in a little slump. That's going to happen," he said. "I wasn't trying to fight my way out of it and just trying to relax a little bit."

That's not easy, he said, "especially for me. I've got a bad temper."

Brewers Lose Again To D'Backs 1-8

2006-07-15T23:48:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

Webb and Capuano rank among the NL leaders in wins, winning percentage, ERA, innings pitched and shutouts.

But the hyped matchup didn't live up to its billing as the Diamondbacks jumped on Capuano, who hadn't lost in seven starts. Only Webb looked like an All-Star on this night, trimming his league-leading ERA to 2.52 by shutting out the Brewers on six hits in seven innings. Webb, who was lifted after 110 pitches, walked two and tied a season high with 10 strikeouts.

"My arm felt great," said Webb, who added that he relied more on breaking balls than his trademark sinker. "To get runs early, especially off Cappy, who's having a great year, it definitely makes a starter's job easier."

Since giving up a season-high seven runs to Seattle on June 27, Webb has yielded two runs in his last three starts, a span of 23 innings. And that doesn't count Webb's inning in the All-Star Game, when he retired Derek Jeter, David Ortiz and Alex Rodriguez.

Capuano (10-5) lasted only 3 2/3 innings, his shortest outing of the season. He allowed eight runs -- five earned -- and 10 hits.

"I never really could get in a rhythm out there," Capuano said. "I had real trouble locating the ball."

Capuano was in trouble from the first batter, surrendering a leadoff double down the left field line to Eric Byrnes, who scored on Luis Gonzalez double down the right field line one out later.

In the second, Capuano gave up three runs but all were unearned. Third baseman Jeff Cirillo's throwing error allowed one run to score and set the stage for two-out RBI singles by Damion Easley and Gonzalez, putting the Brewers in a 4-0 hole.

In the third, Capuano gave up a leadoff home run to Jackson into the bullpen down the left field line. One inning later, Jackson homered again, this time into the left field seats with a man aboard to make it 7-0. It was Jackson's second career multihomer game.

Johnny Estrada followed with his eighth home run to chase Capuano.

"To their credit, they were swinging the bats well and hit a lot of my mistakes," Capuano said.

The loss dropped Milwaukee eight games behind St. Louis in the NL Central, but manager Ned Yost said his team could only worry about salvaging the final game of this series.

"You can't bury your head in the sand," he said. "You get after it again tomorrow."

Brewers Call Up Gwynn Jr., Place Koskie on DL

2006-07-15T22:18:00.000-05:00

From Adam McCalvy at MLB.com:

It was a good day for Major League bloodlines on Saturday at Chase Field. On the same day the Diamondbacks called up shortstop Stephen Drew, whose older brother, J.D., plays for the Dodgers, the Brewers called on outfielder Tony Gwynn Jr., whose father is destined for the Hall of Fame.

Gwynn got the call as Brewers third baseman Corey Koskie was placed on the disabled list with post-concussion syndrome, the result of a highlight-worthy defensive effort on July 5 at Miller Park. When Gwynn learned the news early Saturday morning, his first call was home to San Diego.

"He hates flying," Gwynn said of his dad, who played 20 Major League seasons for the Padres. "So he just hopped in the car and drove."

The younger Gwynn entered the season a career .261 hitter in three seasons since the Brewers made him their second-round pick in the 2003 First-Year Player Draft. But this year, he batted .305 (104-for-341) in 86 games at Triple-A Nashville and currently ranks second in the Pacific Coast League with 24 stolen bases and fifth with 104 hits. He was the PCL's starting center fielder in the Triple-A All-Star Game.

"I knew I had to be stronger and become more consistent at the plate," Gwynn said. "I think that came with more at-bats. You start to apply different things that you see, and the result is that you start putting up some numbers. Hopefully, that continues, whether it's here or back at Triple-A."

Gwynn arrived just before batting practice Saturday, just as Brewers general manager Doug Melvin and manager Ned Yost discussed the move. They considered promoting the versatile Vinny Rottino, who would have provided help for an infield missing Koskie and J.J. Hardy (ankle), but instead chose Gwynn because he is a left-handed hitter. When Gabe Gross starts in center field, as he did Saturday, the Brewers had no lefties on the bench.

Yost plans to stick with Brady Clark and Gross as the regular center fielders.

"We'll pick spots for Tony to play," said Yost. "But are we going to throw him in center every day? No, we're not doing that."

Turnbow Blows Another One As Brewers Lose 3-4

2006-07-14T23:54:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

Arizona catcher Johnny Estrada thought he deserved to make the National League All-Star team.

Three days after the game, Estrada showed why it may have been a mistake to leave him off. And he did it against Milwaukee closer Derrick Turnbow, an All-Star.

Estrada hit a two-run home run off Turnbow in the ninth inning to give the Arizona Diamondbacks a 4-3 victory over the Brewers Friday night.

"Of course, I'd like to be calling myself a two-time All-Star right now, but sometimes it's a popularity contest," said Estrada, an All-Star with Atlanta in 2004. "I enjoyed the days off with my family."

It was a costly victory for the Diamondbacks, who lost shortstop and leadoff man Craig Counsell for 3-to-6 weeks with a broken right rib.

The Diamondbacks worried that the All-Star break might disrupt the momentum they established in a three-game sweep at Colorado last weekend. And for 8 1/2 innings, Arizona played sluggishly and appeared headed for its 15th loss in 17 games at Chase Field.

But that all changed in a heartbeat. After Luis Gonzalez greeted Turnbow with a double off the right field wall, Estrada belted Turnbow's next delivery 392 feet into the seats in right field for his seventh homer of the season.

"I was watching him pitch to Gonzo, and he was blowing up the radar gun, throwing 97, 98 (mph)," Estrada said. "Gonzo leads off with a double, I'm just trying to pull something to the right side to get him to third so we have a chance to tie at least."

Estrada said he had one previous walk-off homer, as a Philadelphia rookie against Florida on Sept. 23, 2001.

It was Turnbow's seventh blown save in 30 chances and cost the Brewers their fourth straight loss.

"It's just brutal," Turnbow (4-5) said. "Tonight was probably the best I've felt in a long time and it still didn't go my way, so I've just got to be better. That's the bottom line. It stinks costing the team wins."

Turnbow threw four pitches. Two were balls. One was hit off the wall and the other into the bleachers.

"It's kind of glaring because it's the first game back after the break, and it happened quick," Milwaukee manager Ned Yost said.

Gonzalez and Estrada both said they were sitting on Turnbow's fastball, which is intimidating but clearly not unhittable.

"He definitely needs to find a way to command his pitches better," Yost said. "He never really got in a position when he could use his breaking ball."

Seahawks Sign 5th Rounder Kirtman

2006-07-14T19:30:00.000-05:00

From Seahawks.com:

The Seattle Seahawks have signed fifth-round draft choice (163rd overall) fullback David Kirtman to a multi-year contract, the team announced this afternoon.

Kirtman, who attended Mercer Island High, started 18 of 46 career games at USC while helping the Trojans average 260.0 rushing yards per game his senior season as the team’s leading blocker.

He becomes the second Seahawks draft choice to sign a contract, joining seventh round choice punter Ryan Plackemeier.

Magic Sign Bogans To 3-Year Deal

2006-07-13T22:36:00.000-05:00

From Brian Schmitz at The Orlando Sentinel:

The Orlando Magic, in their search to settle their shooting-guard quandary, said goodbye to DeShawn Stevenson and welcomed back Keith Bogans.

The Sentinel learned today that the Magic were finalizing a three-year contract with Bogans after halting negotiations with Stevenson.

Stevenson and the Magic were at an impasse over the length of a contract.

Stevenson, who averaged 11 points and started all 82 games for the Magic last season, wanted a four-year contract at least $4 million year.

The Magic refused to budge at three years, ending Stevenson's two-plus year stay in Orlando. Stevenson's agent, Rob Pelinka, told the Sentinel recently that Stevenson had at least two contract offers on the table that were better than the Magic's.

Stevenson, 25, had one year at $3 million left on his deal, but opted out of his contract this summer.

The Magic believe they are getting a similar 6-foot-5, defensive-minded player at half the price in Bogans, who they acquired in the second round in the 2003 draft from the Milwaukee Bucks.

Bogans, 25, averaged 6.8 points for the Magic in 2003-04. But the club traded him to the Charlotte Bobcats for forward Brandon Hunter before the start of the 2004 season.

Bogans and Stevenson were teammates, the Magic having acquired Stevenson for Gordon Giricek in February of 2004.

Bogans was traded by the Bobcats to the Houston Rockets after 39 games last season. He averaged 8.6 points and 3.5 rebounds last season for the Rockets.

Brewers Go Into Break Sucking It Up With 4-11 Loss

2006-07-09T19:10:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

Glendon Rusch did his part to help Chicago's injury-riddled pitching staff.

Rusch filled in for Mark Prior with five solid innings and the Cubs beat the Milwaukee Brewers 11-4 Sunday for their third straight win.

Prior was scratched before the game with a strained muscle in his left side, suffered while he was taking batting practice Saturday. The team said it was too early to decide whether the injury would put the right-hander on the disabled list for the seventh time in his five-year career.

"That hurts, big time, because he was just starting to come around," Chicago manager Dusty Baker said.

It was tough news for the Cubs, who learned Saturday that Kerry Wood could miss the rest of the season with a partial tear in his right rotator cuff.

Rusch (3-7) allowed two runs and four hits in his first start since June 16. He struck out five and walked two.

"He gave us all he had, he hadn't gone that far in a long time," Baker said.

Brewers Officially Have 3 All-Stars

2006-07-09T18:18:00.000-05:00

From John Sahly at MLB.com:

Chris Capuano was standing in the bullpen at Miller Park before Sunday's game, going through his normal throwing routine with pitching coach Mike Maddux.

Making his way toward the bullpen was Brewers manager Ned Yost.

"Ned came walking out, and I thought, 'Uh, this is a little different,'" Capuano said.

Yost then delivered the good news.

"'You mind changing your plans for the All-Star break?'" Capuano said the manager asked him.

What was Capuano's response?

"'Of course,'" the pitcher told Yost.

National League All-Star manager Phil Garner called Yost on Sunday to ask if Capuano could replace Mets pitcher Tom Glavine on the NL All-Star roster. Glavine, who started on Sunday for the Mets, will be unable to pitch in the All-Star Game on Tuesday at Pittsburgh's PNC Park.

"Its last minute, but it's not last minute," Yost said. "When you deserve to go, it always works out that you go, someway or another. The guys that are most deserving somehow find their way on there."

Capuano finished second in the Monster 2006 All-Star Final Vote to the Dodgers' Nomar Garciaparra. The Brewers left-hander has racked up an impressive 10-4 record this season with a 3.21 ERA and 112 strikeouts. He also leads the Majors in quality starts with 17.

"He's a hot pitcher, and he fits quite nicely because he pitched a couple of days ago [on Thursday]," Garner said. "He's totally rested, and we have more leeway to go with him. He can give us some innings if we need it."

It's been a somewhat bizarre week for Capuano, who went from All-Star candidate to near All-Star to the third Brewers representative in the Midsummer Classic. Capuano admitted he was uncomfortable with all of the attention placed on him while teammates, family, friends and fans voted as many times as possible for the left-hander.

"I still haven't even called my dad yet," Capuano said. "It still hasn't really sunk in. It's been a surreal week."

Brewers Lose To Cubs 1-3

2006-07-08T23:08:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

Brewers pitcher Dave Bush said he made a mistake on his pitch to Murton.

"It missed over the middle of the plate," Bush said. "He obviously drove it pretty well."

Bush (5-7) went seven innings for Milwaukee, giving up two runs and nine hits. He struck out eight and didn't walk a batter, losing for the first time in five starts.

"It was two runs on four pitches in that fifth inning that kind of turned the game," Bush said. "It happened pretty quickly. Other than that, I thought I threw pretty well."

Bush doubled in Damian Miller in the second inning for the Brewers. It was his sixth hit and second double of the season. Milwaukee finished with five hits.

"When you swing the bat well and get good pitching, chances are you're going to win ballgames," Milwaukee manager Ned Yost said. "Bush was lights out and did a nice job. We just couldn't get him runs."

Brewers Lose To Cubs 2-7

2006-07-07T23:40:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

On a night Carlos Zambrano added six strikeouts to his National League-leading total, it was a double play grounder that made the difference as he won his fifth straight decision.

The right-hander allowed one run over six innings Friday night to lead the Chicago Cubs to a 7-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.

Zambrano (8-3) gave up five hits and walked three while increasing his strikeout total to 124.

"Up until the sixth inning, he was throwing strikes," Cubs catcher Michael Barrett said. "He just was relentless in the strike zone."

And very effective.

"I was feeling good today," Zambrano said. "I threw good pitches today."

Magic Sign Redick

2006-07-07T21:44:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

The Orlando Magic signed top pick J.J. Redick on Friday.

The former Duke star and all-time NCAA 3-point leader announced just before the draft June 28 that he had a herniated disk in his back, forcing him to cancel several workouts -- including one with the Magic.

He has said he expects a full recovery and has been pain-free in rehabilitation. The Magic were comfortable taking him No. 11 overall after a physical and interviews before the draft. Redick's agent, Arn Tellem, didn't immediately return a telephone message Friday night.

The 6-foot-4 guard has also said he hopes to play during the U.S. basketball team's workouts later this month in Las Vegas. Redick was one of 23 players named to the team, most of them NBA stars.

The Magic chose Redick despite a drunken driving arrest in Durham, N.C., last month. He was pulled over after turning around as he approached a license checkpoint near the Duke campus, registering a blood-alcohol level of 0.11 percent -- over the legal limit of 0.08 in North Carolina.

Redick is expected to compete for the starting shooting guard job with DeShawn Stevenson. Though Stevenson recently became a free agent after opting out of his contract, the Magic want to re-sign him.

Stevenson averaged 11 points last year, but was perhaps most important to the Magic as a defensive specialist who drew the toughest assignments. Redick, a pure shooter, is considered a potential defensive liability.

Brewers Beat Cubs 2-0

2006-07-06T23:37:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

Chris Capuano found out he didn't make the All-Star team about 90 minutes before his start Thursday night. It didn't stop him from pitching like one.

Capuano threw a six-hit shutout to continue his mastery of the Cubs as Milwaukee beat Chicago 2-0.

Before the game, the Brewers told Capuano he placed second in fan voting for the final National League All-Star spot behind the Los Angeles Dodgers' Nomar Garciaparra.

"It was just such a relief that it was finally over and nice to just try to focus on pitching again," Capuano said. "After the last few days, I am very uncomfortable with having that much attention on myself."

The win lifted the Brewers back over .500 for the first time since May 29.

Brewes Sweep Reds in Extra Inning Win

2006-07-05T23:47:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

Rickie Weeks found redemption for his late mental error with his bat.

Weeks' long line drive gave the Milwaukee Brewers a 6-5 victory in 13 innings Wednesday night, completing a three-game sweep of the Reds.

It made up for Weeks' fielding gaffe in the top half of the inning, when he allowed Juan Castro to go home from second base on a routine sacrifice bunt to give the Reds a 5-4 lead.

"That just shows you what kind of team we have," Weeks said. "Redemption or not, you have got to come up there with the situation on the line and try to deliver."

It was the Brewers' ninth walk-off victory of the season, and 16th win in their last at-bat.

"Believe me, we don't want to be in this situation, but sometimes it just happens," Weeks said. "We have to go out there and try to put our best foot forward and try to squeak those wins out."

Geremi Gonzalez (2-0) earned the victory for Milwaukee.

Wild Re-Sign Gaborik

2006-07-05T22:13:00.000-05:00

From Glen Andersen at Wild.com:

Now we can get down to business.

The Minnesota Wild re-signed Marian Gaborik to a three-year deal, and fans throughout the state can breathe easy.

Ending speculation and worry that an unsigned Gaborik could lead to contract squabbles and ill-tempers, the Wild locked up the franchise’s all-time leading scorer. Fans are now free to speculate on what the Wild’s line combinations will be.

"Getting this done was an important component of putting together a team that can compete for the long run in the Western Conference," said Assistant General Manager Tom Lynn. "Marian has fit with the players we have, and the new players we've brought in."

The news comes just prior to the deadline of the restricted free agent having the ability to file for arbitration. Although Gaborik would have remained with the team for next season if arbitration was necessary, the contract ends any uncertainty going into what is becoming the most anticipated Wild season since 2000.

"It's a great opportunity for a young organization when a player chooses to stay here," said Wild President and General Manager, Doug Risebrough. "That is what Marian was facing. Clearly, he is an accomplished player that would have had choices. Today, he chose us. I have no doubt that (the deal) accelerated so much in the last 24 hours because Marian wanted to stay here."

The three-year deal begins this upcoming season. Risebrough said he's fine with the contract lasting three years, although he likely would have been happier with a longer-term deal.

"I'm not uncomfortable with it," he said. "I think it was a factor for Marian because he's still a young player, and this means he probably has a chance to choose twice. That's okay because, just as I was not concerned about him playing as an unrestricted free agent, I wouldn't be concerned about him playing on a three-year contract. At the end of the day, I think when all of the things align in the right way, he'll want to stay."

As newly-signed power forward Mark Parrish said after signing as a free agent, "(Gaborik) is the missing piece."

He now completes the puzzle that has the Wild future looking extremely bright with him playing alongside familiar faces like Brian Rolston, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Mikko Koivu as well as new faces like Parrish, Pavol Demitra and Kim Johnsson.

"These are players that he can help," said Risebrough. "It's not just them helping him, but he can help them and he wants to be here for that."

He added, "We believe we're going in the right direction, and we believe we've got the plan to help us get there. We believe we've added players that can help us continue to develop younger players. We've seen that not only in Marian's case, but others are choosing our team."

There was much speculation that the recent acquistion of Demitra, a close friend of Gaborik's, would expedite the process. Demitra came to Minnesota via a draft day trade in exchange for a first round selection and Patrick O'Sullivan. Risebrough acknowledged it probably didn't hurt, but it wasn't the only reason.

"I think it was very helpful," he said. "It was a factor, but it wasn't the only factor. We were trying to find a center who could move the puck and bring good offense. The fact that he played with Marian was probably a plus, and something I knew he would like, but that deal was really not done until the (17th overall pick in this year's draft) came up."

Gaborik is the club's all-time leading scorer, and he's coming off his most prolific NHL season despite missing 17 games early in the season due to a nagging groin injury. His 38 goals in 2005-06 were a club record in his 66-point season, and he is the only player in Wild history with at least three 30-goal seasons.

Brewers Beat Reds 5-2

2006-07-04T22:03:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

Doug Davis put together his longest outing of the season for the Milwaukee Brewers, and made another solid choice after the game.

"I'm going to go out and light some fireworks -- with my right hand," said Davis, a left-hander.

Davis pitched into the ninth inning, Corey Koskie hit a two-run homer and the Brewers beat the Cincinnati Reds 5-2 Tuesday.

Davis (5-5) gave up two runs and six hits in 8 2/3 innings, and the Brewers shook off their slow start against Bronson Arroyo to score five runs in the fourth inning and send the Reds to their fourth straight loss.

"You face a pitcher like Bronson Arroyo, you know you've got to keep that opposing team down as much as you can, because you're not going to get many chances to score runs," manager Ned Yost said. "Doug did that today."

Arroyo was even better than Davis through the first three innings, sitting down the first nine batters he faced before running into trouble in the fourth.

"Well, it was just one of those innings where you lose a ballgame," Arroyo said. "You can't just give up five and expect to win, especially when the other guy is throwing that well. And Doug Davis pitched a heck of a game."

Arroyo walked Rickie Weeks to lead off the inning, and Weeks advanced to second on Bill Hall's bunt single -- the Brewers' first hit of the game.

"He didn't hit a perfect bunt, but good enough," Arroyo said. "And he's got enough speed to beat that out easily and it got me in trouble."

Geoff Jenkins then doubled in Weeks and Carlos Lee followed with an RBI single to give Milwaukee a 2-0 lead.

Prince Fielder added a sacrifice fly and Koskie capped off the big inning with his 12th homer.

Koskie said putting the first two runners on base got Arroyo "a little out of sorts."

"You've got to look at that whole inning," Koskie said. "It started off with Billy's bunt, and that was big for us."

Arroyo (9-5), who started the season 5-0, gave up five hits and five runs in seven innings. He struck out six and walked three. Arroyo was 2-1 with a 2.45 ERA in three previous starts against the Brewers this season.

"Sometimes an inning like that can explode on you, and it did," Arroyo said.

Davis never gave up that big inning -- a possible sign that missing his most recent start against the Chicago Cubs on Thursday with a stiff back might have helped him.

"It very well could have, and that was the idea behind it," Yost said.

Brewers Win In Dramatic Fashion 8-7

2006-07-03T19:50:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

One Brewers All-Star bailed out the other one Monday.

Carlos Lee singled home the winning run in the ninth inning after Derrick Turnbow blew a save, and Milwaukee pulled off the final rally of a seesaw game to beat the Cincinnati Reds 8-7.

"That's why you call it a team," Lee said. "You know, everybody goes through slumps. We're going to be 100 percent behind him."

Bill Hall homered and had four hits for the Brewers, who snapped a three-game skid.

Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 554th homer and added a go-ahead double off Turnbow in the top of the ninth, putting Cincinnati ahead 7-6. But winner Matt Wise (5-4) retired Austin Kearns with the bases loaded to end the inning, and Todd Coffey (3-3) failed to get an out in the bottom half.

Rickie Weeks led off with a single and went to third on Hall's single off the right-field fence. Geoff Jenkins blooped a tying single to center and Lee followed with a soft single to right, sending the Reds to their third consecutive defeat.

The Brewers responded in the bottom half. Hall's double off starter Aaron Harang put runners at second and third with none out. Kent Mercker relieved, and Jenkins hit an RBI grounder to Lopez at shortstop. His throwing error allowed a second run to score, making it 5-4 Brewers.

Lee added an RBI single through a drawn-in infield.

Brewers starter Dave Bush allowed three runs and seven hits in six innings, striking out five.

Harang pitched six-plus innings, giving up five runs and 10 hits. Kearns also connected for Cincinnati.

The Reds grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Dunn doubled and scored on Rich Aurilia's single.

Hall's 17th homer in the third tied it at 1-1. It also matched his career high, set last season.

Hall batted .207 (6-for-29) with one home run and three RBI on a recent 10-game road trip. He spent time in the batting cage Monday morning and adjusted his stance.

"I struggled on the road and struck out a lot," Hall said. "But I corrected some things in the cage today, and went out and had fun again."

Cincinnati grabbed the lead again in the third. Brandon Phillips singled with two outs and Kearns followed with his 16th home run -- his third in four games.

Milwaukee tied it at 3-all in the sixth on an RBI single by Prince Fielder and a run-scoring double by Damian Miller.

Brewers Swept in 0-8 Loss

2006-07-02T19:49:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

Rookie Zach Jackson (1-1) gave up eight runs -- seven earned -- and walked three in five innings for Milwaukee. He wasn't hit all that hard on Sunday, but an error and two walks in the third got the Twins rolling toward the three-game sweep.

"That's not my game," Jackson said. "I'm not a big walk guy. I need to have control and I wasn't able to do that today."

After Michael Cuddyer's RBI single gave the Twins a 1-0 lead in the first, Minnesota broke the game open with an opportunistic third inning.

Morneau came up with the bases loaded and one out and hit a high chopper toward Rickie Weeks at second. But the ball handcuffed Weeks and scooted past him for an error, allowing Luis Castillo and Mike Redmond to score to start the rally.

Jackson also walked two in the inning, then Shannon Stewart blooped a double to shallow right field that scored two more runs to make it 6-0.

Morneau's solo homer in the fifth -- his 21st of the season -- rattled a suite in right field, and Jason Kubel added an RBI single to make it 8-0.

"I don't care how hot a team is, I have to give my team a chance to win," Jackson said. "I didn't do that today."

Liriano got off to a rough start, hitting Weeks to start the game and giving up a single to Jeff Cirillo. He then stumbled during his delivery to No. 3 hitter Corey Hart, and the balk allowed Weeks and Cirillo to each move up a base.

Liriano walked around the mound gingerly after the stumble and was examined by Twins trainers.

"I don't even know what happened," Liriano said. "I tried to use the slide step and just slipped."

Once he regained his footing, it was all over for the Brewers.

Liriano struck out Hart on the next pitch, then got Carlos Lee swinging before Prince Fielder ground out to second to end the inning.

The Brewers managed just two hits the rest of the way as the Twins continued their remarkable run.

Brewers Blow Lead in 7-10 Loss

2006-07-01T23:42:00.000-05:00

From Sportsline.com:

After Brady Clark and Rickie Weeks reached base to start the third, Geoff Jenkins lifted a high fly ball to left. The ball fell a few feet behind Kubel after he lost it in the Metrodome's teflon roof. Hunter kicked the ball trying to pick it up, allowing Clark to score, Weeks to advance to third and Jenkins to second.

Weeks scored on Carlos Lee's RBI single and Jenkins trotted home on Prince Fielder's sacrifice fly to the center-field wall, giving the Brewers a 3-2 lead.

"We got the win, that's all that matters," Kubel said. "Every now and then I have trouble seeing the ball. I don't know what the deal is with that. I'm still trying to get used to it."

It was the first time the Twins trailed since a 1-0 deficit in the top of the second inning on June 23 against the Chicago Cubs. That lead lasted only a half-inning and so did this one.

Hunter and Kubel made up for their defensive blunders with RBI singles, and rookie Jason Bartlett added an RBI double, giving the Twins a 5-3 lead after the third. Joe Mauer's second hit of the game extended the Twins' lead in the fourth.

Milwaukee claimed the lead again in the fifth. The first three Brewers' reached base, with Bill Hall scoring on Lee's single.

Kubel's second defensive blunder on Fielder's line drive allowed another run to score. Kubel started back on the ball, then sprinted forward after realizing he misjudged it. The ball fell a few feet in front of Kubel and bounced off his glove.

Damian Miller's single scored Lee and Gabe Gross drove in Fielder with a sacrifice fly, giving the Brewers a 7-6 lead.

It was the first time in 11 straight home wins the Twins have given up more than three runs.

"A lot of hits, a lot of balls that weren't really centered," Brewers manager Ned Yost said. "A lot of balls found holes and it's just one of those games."

"(Milwaukee) brought in Turnbow and I thought, 'wow, this can't be good,"' Twins manager Ron Gardenhire added. "But wow, what a great ball game. This win was huge for us tonight."

Gardenhire also was happy to have Stewart back.

"You saw what he brings to this lineup. It's great to have him back."

Brewers' starter Chris Capuano failed to last at least six innings for the first time all season. He allowed six runs in four innings and tied a season-high giving up 11 hits.

"These games are going to happen," Capuano said. "This is major league baseball. I just didn't have it tonight. Everything I threw was up and everything went wrong."