Lee and Davis Lead Crew Past Reds

Doug Davis pitched like classic Doug Davis, and Carlos Lee hit his 200th home run, just in time to propel the Brewers past the Reds last night in Cincinnati. This was a much-needed win for the Brewers as they head into a three game series in Philadelphia.

DD threw seven strong innings last night, bailing out the limping bullpen, allowing only five hits and two runs, and recording a quality start. Davis managed to get through those seven innings using only 98 pitches, 58 of them for strikes. Doug got into some trouble in the 3rd, but he somehow managed to get out of it after allowing only one run to score. This guy is some kind of Houdini the way he manages to pitch out of those tight spots. At least he seems to be returning to typical Davis form. God knows the pitching staff needs to know they can rely on someone besides the always dependable Chris Capuano.

The bullpen got some more relief today, as Chris DeMaria was sent packing in exchange for Chris Mabeus. The Crew attempted to call Mabeus up last week, but got a lesson in roster rules instead. But all is resolved and Chris is now dressed in Brewer blue. Maybe he can stick around longer than Lehr. Or Hendrickson. Or DeMaria. Or Fernandez. Or Adams. Or those high dollar starters that I keep hearing we have but haven't seen for a while.

Carlos Lee socked his 200th career homer last night, and he said later it was a bit of a relief. Carlos had cooled off in the hitting department lately, and hadn't hit a homer in 13 games, and said he felt he had hit a wall mentally. Hopefully that homer will be the start of another hot streak for Carlos. This road trip would be a great time for it!

Brady Clark has certainly returned to form lately as well. Everyone expected Brady to get off to a hot start after posting a .306 average last season, but he started off the season slowly. Very slowly, falling below .200 a few times. But in the last few games, Brady has found his stroke, and was 3 for 4 last night. In fact, Brady has raised his average up to .271, and is hitting .404 over his last 15 games. That's 19 for 47 for those of you who don't want to do the math.

Now I must admit that I spend some time reading the message boards on the Brewers' website. To all of you who have been complaining about Brady and saying he should be traded, SHUT UP!! Brady has been saying all season that he usually starts off slow in April, that last season was somewhat of a fluke. Ned Yost and Butch Wynegar have been saying all along that Brady would find his swing and get right back into it, and guess what, he did! So leave him alone. He's not the typical choice for the lead off spot, although he did very well there last season, but he's doing great in the eight hole. Having someone reliable (yes I said reliable because Brady was the most clutch hitter last season, and will be again this season!) in the eight spot is a great way to make sure you clear the pitcher, and start off the next inning with the top of the lineup. Way to go, Brady! I told you at the museum you were my favorite everyday player, and I'm thrilled to see my faith hasn't gone to waste. I'm also thrilled to get to say "I told you so!" to all those naysayers who wanted to get rid of you!

Ok, I'm done with that rant now. Moving on. Everyone on the team managed to chip in last night. Even guys who didn't get a hit still managed to score runs. Rickie Weeks scored twice on two walks, Prince Fielder had two RBI's on a sac fly, and even Doug Davis got an RBI last night on a sweet sac bunt.

Incidentally, did anyone else notice that Damian Miller sat out the last two games, and we lost the last two games? Miller is back in the lineup last night, and we won. Think there's any correlation there? Something to ponder. . .

It still just amazes me sometimes how hot and cold this team runs. We play fantastic baseball against tough teams like the Mets and the Phillies, and then suddenly against teams like the Twins and the Dodgers, (which both should have been easy series), we look like amateurs. Consistency is the key, but I guess they should know that by now. I hope to see it executed soon!

There is an excellent interview with Chris Capuano posted on the Brewers' website. Once again I'm amazed at how someone so unbelievably talented can be so modest and gracious, with such a good head on his shoulders. He is the standard that all players should aspire to. But then again, you all know I can't say enough good things about Chris. I hope his attitude doesn't change after he gets his big raise next season.

Chris will be looking for his 11th quality start of the season tomorrow night as he takes the mound against Cory Lidle and the rest of the Phillies. Cappy's 10 for 10 record in quality starts ties him with Mike Mussina of the Yankees for the most in baseball. Chris currently has an ERA of 2.78, and a record of 5-3. Lidle is 4-4, with an ERA of 4.80. Tomorrow night will be a rematch for Chris and Cory. The Crew got a look at Lidle back on the 16th when he pitched here in Milwaukee, coincidentally, against Chris Capuano. Both pitchers were very effective, but a throwing error in the 9th handed the victory to Milwaukee. (We would have won anyway, but I digress.) As we all know, the Brewers got the win and Philly got their winning streak broken. The Phillies have lost seven of their last ten games, including three against Milwaukee, and are 13-13 at home. Let's get that record below .500 shall we boys? Until next time, go Brewers!