The Brewers may be in the middle of a relatively worry-free series in Houston, but Saturday night was a good reminder of why nothing can be taken for granted in this division race, even if the Brewers are slowly opening up a comfortable lead.
Corey Hart was hit by a pitch on the hand and left the game with a bruise. Luckily, it looks like x-rays were negative. And no, St. Louis media, we won’t be getting defensive about Hart being pitched up and in. The ball got away from David Carpenter, who had trouble with his control all inning. It happens.
Then there was Casey McGehee, who was hurt on the game’s wacky final play. After John Axford fired an errant throw to first into right field, Houston’s J.B. Shuck tried to make it to third. Nyjer Morgan‘s throw was on the money, but it appear Shuck may have inadvertantly slid into McGehee’s leg on the play, and McGehee came up limping in the postgame celebration. In another bit of luck, it appears as though McGehee isn’t seriously injured. Like Hart, he isn’t in Sunday’s lineup, but Adam McCalvy reports that it just looks like a day off for him.
While the Brewers are fortunate that the injuries to Hart and McGehee are just of the day-to-day variety, it’s important to remember that nothing is guaranteed over the next month and a half. The Brewers are playing some of their best baseball since May, but things can go awry in a hurry through no fault of their own. Past Brewers teams have been in a similar spot during this time of year, only to wilt as they played through August and September. The Cardinals aren’t going to fade, and the wildcard seems unlikely this year. The Brewers will still need some lucky breaks when it comes to staying healthy if everything is going to fall into place.
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