Next game:  Wednesday, August 20th vs. Houston
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Wisconsin's Morning News: Jim Powell

GAME AUDIO
• NED YOST
• BEN SHEETS
• JASON KENDALL
• INSIDE THE LOCKER ROOM REPORT

Sports Glance with Lance: What, Me Worry?

One would probably confuse Geoff Blum for a fictional character in some novel instead of a baseball player.  Ben Sheets probably wished he was.  Geoff Blum happens to be a real living, breathing ball player complete with a .250 lifetime batting average. This season he has been a Brewer killer with a .400 average against Milwaukee including two home runs at Miller Park.  His second home run in Milwaukee keyed the Astros to a 5-2 victory over the Brewers.

With the game tied at two in the sixth, two on, and two-outs, Ben Sheets threw a 1-2 changeup right down the middle of the plate that Blum ripped over the right-center fence that put Houston in front. 

"I didn't make many mistakes, but the ones I made they hit hard," Sheets said.

Sheets (11-7) took his seventh loss of the season.  Despite the five runs Sheets gave up, he was solid through most of the six innings he pitched.  He struck out seven, gave up just five hits, and walked one. 

"He pitched very good tonight [just] made a couple of mistakes with two outs," Brewers Manager Ned Yost thought.  "High curveball to Bourn and a change-up out over the middle of the plate to Blum that was the result of five runs. He'd done a nice job to that point getting ahead of the hitters, his pitch count was fairly good, he was aggressive [and] on the attack."

Since the All-Star break, Sheets is now 1-4 with a 3.46 ERA compared to a 10-3 record with a 2.85 ERA before his All-Star game start at Yankee Stadium.  Not numbers to be totally alarmed about but certainly not the numbers the Brewers were hoping for when CC Sabathia arrived in town. 

"I ain't pitching great but I don't think I'm pitching as bad as its made out to be," Sheets said.  "I pitched plenty winnable games and I pitched plenty losable games in that stretch.  First half, I came away with a lot of victories pitching the same way I have this half.  Its a long season.  Its ups and downs."

"My stuff is good but I'm having trouble getting it away, getting under the zone, or to the side of the zone.  Its something I just need to work on doing," Sheets added on why he might not be as dominate as he was in the season's first half.  "I'd say I've had two really bad ones since the All-Star break.  All the other ones I've kept us right there."

As Jason Kendall pointed out, "He's fine, his stuff is the same.  We haven't done too much for him.  We've got to get some more runs for him." 

The bats have only produced 23 runs in Sheets's seven starts.  The offense has scored two or fewer runs in four of those seven games.

The glaring problem with the offense in this contest was hitting with runners in scoring position.  The Brewers rank 25th in the league in hitting with runners in scoring position and it showed in this game.  Milwaukee ended up stranding the equivalent of a small fleet on the base path with nine runners left on base.  A good example of the run producing struggles came in the fourth as the Brewers had the first crack to blow the game wide open but failed to show anything for the effort.  

Mike Cameron led off the inning with a single and Jason Kendall followed with one of his own.  Ben Sheets swung away instead of laying down a sacrifice bunt to record the first out.  Ray Durham smacked a single to shallow right.  Cameron got waved home but  Hunter Pence's throw to the plate beat Cameron by a country mile for out number two.  J.J. Hardy was able to load up the bases with a walk but Gabe Kapler ended the inning with a fly out.

"We had our opportunities to score some runs early and just couldn't get a big hit," Yost said.

Astros' starter Brian Moehler (9-4) got his ninth win of the year as he pitched five and a thirds innings, allowed one earned run, nine hits, and struck out four.  Jose Valverde got his 32nd save as he pitched a scoreless ninth.

Hardy celebrated his 26th birthday with a RBI double to center in the first that gave the Crew an early lead.  Mike Cameron drove in another Brewers' run in the second with a double to center.

The Astros evened the game up in the next frame on Michael Bourn's two-RBI triple to right.

The Brewers drop to 72-55 while the Astros improve to 64-62.  A pair of lefties will be on the mound for the finale of three-game set.  Manny Parra (9-6, 4.12 ERA) starts for Milwaukee and Wandy Rodriguez (7-5, 4.15 ERA) will start for Houston.

Notes
Ryan Braun did not play after leaving last night's game with tightness in his back.  He is listed as day-to-day....Jose Valverde surpassed Antonio Alfonesca for fourth all-time is saves among Dominican born pitchers.  Valverde now has 129 career saves....The Brewers recorded the 33rd sellout of the season which set a new franchise record.  It was also the 17th consecutive sellout.