…hey, ya can’t win ’em all. In fact, taking 2 of 3 in Houston is more than I had hoped for after that miserable series at Colorado. Yeah, the Brews Brothers had a 1-0 lead after two innings, thanks to a Geoff Jenkins solo homer. And, the Brews had a 2-0 lead after four innings…thanks to another Geoff Jenkins solo homer. And still 2-1 after five innings, after a Craig Biggio solo shot…. The 2-2 after six innings, after a Ty Wigginton solo shot. But after Carlos Villanueva pitched a scoreless 7th, Villanueva gave up–yes, you guessed it–a solo homer to Lance Berkman. After getting Carlos Lee to pop out, Villanueva walked Luke Scott, who stole second but would have gotten there anyway thanks to Villanueva also walking Jason Lane…Chris Spurling came in, scoring Scott; after an intentional walk, Eric Bruntlett singled to drive in the 5th and 6th runs. J.J. Hardy kept the game interesting with a 2-run homer in the 9th, but the Crew missed out on the sweep Sunday, 6-4. But I am okay with it…honest. I mean, sure, I had hoped that the Crew could sweep the Astros, but, let’s look at the glass half full and be happy that we took 2 of 3; the Cubs, who the Astros just swept, lost to Colorado in Denver, 6-3. So the Crew remains 1½ up. Claudio Vargas pitched well; Jenkins is hitting again, and J.J. Hardy is hitting again. Plus, Carlos Villanueva looked like he might have re-discovered his effectiveness from the first half. After a day off, the Brewers return home for three against the Cardinals, then three against the Reds. The Cards sit at 55-60, just 5½ back of the Brewers, with the realization that if they sweep Milwaukee, they are back in the NL Central race; but if the Brewers sweep the Cardinals, the Redbirds fall to 8½ back and become a longshot to make the playoffs. The Cubs get the Reds for three, followed by the Cards for four…so the Cards can also make-up ground in the division by giving the Cubs some losses. This could wind up being the most important week in determining the NL champ…and I’m just happy the Brewers are at home, won 2 of their last 3 on the road, and everyone (except Chris Spurling, maybe) is playing well…or at least played well in Houston.
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