The Brewers topped the Reds 5-2 on Friday night. Once again Ben Sheets stole the spotlight although it was due to more than his pitching. Sheets tossed five shutout innings while only giving up two hits. As Sheets left the gave after the fifth, he motioned that there was something wrong with his arm. Sheets experienced tightness in his right triceps after throwing only 60 pitches on the night. The team said after that the move was precautionary, but Sheets said that he has been experiencing the soreness since his last start in New York. So the yearly Ben Sheets watch is now on. We will have to wait and see where things go from here, but this feels a lot like the last three years. I just hope I’m wrong.
The Brewers scored two runs in the first after a Prince Fielder bases loaded sacrifice fly and a single by Corey Hart that scored JJ Hardy. Bill Hall hit his sixth home run of the season in the third. Craig Counsell and JJ Hardy each had two hits on the night.
Salomon Torres came on in relief for Sheets and pitched two scoreless innings. Mitch Stetter came on and went 2/3 innings and was able to get himself out of a bases loaded jam. David Riske came on and started a Reds rally in the ninth. He gave up two runs on three hits which allowed Eric Gagne to come in and record his fifth save of the season.
With the exception of Riske, the bullpen continues to be quite effective and is holding the team together when the starters leave early. Corey Hart and Bill Hall finally swapped spots in the batting order and it appeared to benefit both players. Everyone seems to be comfortable in their slots, but it won’t be a permanent move since Mike Cameron returns soon.
The news of the night is obviously focusing on Ben Sheets. He is now 3-0 with a 0.96 ERA and had been nothing short of dominant all season. Any long-term injury will result in a severe blow to the Brewers playoff chances. Take a deep breath, Milwaukee.
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