It was the premier pitching match-up of the weekend. Johan Santana vs. Ben Sheets. It would be Ben Sheets that would come out on top. "He pitched good and I didn't," Santana said. "He was better than me."Sheets struggled a bit out of the gate, giving up two runs in the first inning. But he then calmed down, retiring 18 straight Mets batters before an 8th inning home run to David Wright.
In the meantime, the Brewers were responding with home runs of their own. The Crew hit three long balls against Santana, a solo shot by Bill Hall in the 4th inning, another solo shot by Rickie Weeks in the 5th, smashing a ball that left the stadium, and a 2-run shot in the 7th by Gabe Kapler.
Eric Gagne's second save of the season allowed the Brewers to snap their three game losing streak, as they won the game 5-3.
What did we learn from this game? Ben Sheets is going to have a hell of a year. Someone's pitching like they are in a contract year, aren't they? Sheets is pitching better than I've ever seen him pitch, and there is no question as to who the Brewers ace is. Now, if he can just avoid a random injury, he can find himself as a serious contender in the NL Cy Young race.
The Jason Kendall batting 9th experiment didn't work out too well today, as he went 0-4, lowering his batting average to .424. However, Ben Sheets did pick up an RBI on a sacrifice bunt in the 2nd inning, but that was mainly thanks to some excellent base running by Corey Hart. Hart, by the way, appeared a little faster on the basepaths today, and we think it might have something to do with the fact he shaved his mane, which will be missed.
Today was also the major league debut for Hernan Iribarren. He had a nice pinch single in the ninth, but then was picked off first base.
The rubber match against the Mets will take place tomorrow at 12:10. FSN Wisconsin will carry the game, and for those of you in the New York area, you can watch the action on WPIX.
Box Score.
TBC's Player of the Game: Ben Sheets
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