Brewers Surge Into Lead
The Milwaukee Brewers have squandered a lot of scoring opportunities lately.
By coming through when it really counts, however, they have a
share of the NL Central lead for the first time since the season’s
opening week.
After pulling into a first-place tie with another
late rally, the Brewers look to continue their surge with their 10th
win in 11 games in the finale of a three-game series against theHouston Astros on Sunday at Miller Park.
Oddsmakers from SBG Global
have made Milwaukee -170 money line favorites (MLB Odds) for tonight’s game, the over/under has
been set at 9 total runs (Matchup). Current public betting information shows that 88% of bets for this game have been placed on Milwaukee -170 (View MLB Bet Percentages).
Milwaukee (60-44) has
gone 2-for-39 with runners in scoring position in its last four games,
but clutch hitting in the late innings has helped the Brewers go 3-1 in
that stretch and 8-1 since the All-Star break. They’ve won nine of 10
overall.
Third baseman Bill Hall and left fielder Ryan Braun have
keyed the Brewers’ late-inning success. Hall hit a tiebreaking home run
in the 10th inning of a 6-3 win over St. Louis on Monday, and delivered
a game-winning solo shot in the ninth inning of a 4-3 victory the
following day. Braun hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the ninth inning
of Thursday’s 4-3 win over the Cardinals.
Both players came up
big Saturday, when Milwaukee rallied from a two-run deficit with four
runs in the final three innings to steal a 6-4 win over Houston (47-56).
Braun
– batting .432 (16-for-37) with four homers and 12 RBIs since the
All-Star break – hit a game-tying two-run homer in the seventh, and
Hall delivered a go-ahead RBI single in the eighth. Milwaukee improved
to a major league-best 11-29 when trailing after six innings.
"We
have a lot of confidence going into the seventh and eighth inning, down
a couple runs," Hall said. "We’re just a couple of bloops and a blast
away from being in a tie ballgame, and that’s what happened."
With
Saturday’s win, the Brewers pulled into a first-place tie with the
Chicago Cubs, who they trailed by five games at the All-Star break. The
Brewers hadn’t owned a share of the division lead since they were alone
in first place with a 6-1 record on April 8.
Next up is a
four-game home series against the Cubs on Monday, but manager Ned Yost
says his team isn’t looking beyond the series finale against the Astros.
"Our
focus was to be within striking distance of the Cubs when they come to
town, somehow find a way to get within a couple games, and we’ve
accomplished that right now," Yost told the Brewers’ official Web site.
"We’re going to be that when the next series opens up, but we still
have a tough game (Sunday), and that’s where our focus is at."
Milwaukee
faces Randy Wolf (6-10, 4.74 ERA) in his Astros debut. The left-hander
was acquired from San Diego on Tuesday in a move that may indicate the
last-place Astros aren’t giving up on their season yet.
"He still
believes in the Astros. I think he still thinks there’s a shot," Wolf
told the team’s official Web site regarding Astros general manager Ed
Wade. "With a little more than two months left in the season, there’s
an opportunity there he’s trying to take advantage of."
Wolf
posted a 6.94 ERA while losing six of his last seven starts with the
Padres, including a 6-5 defeat at St. Louis on July 19. The left-hander
is 5-3 with a 3.89 ERA in 14 career starts against the Brewers.
Milwaukee
will hand the ball to Jeff Suppan (5-6, 4.65), who allowed three runs
in seven innings against the Cardinals on Tuesday before Hall’s
game-winner. The right-hander is 2-6 with a 4.83 ERA in 13 career games
versus Houston.
Astros first baseman Lance Berkman is 13-for-29 (.448) with three homers and four doubles in his career against Suppan.
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