Tagged: Yuniesky Betancourt
Howl of a Start; Brew Crew knots NLCS
Randy Wolf dazzled in St. Louis Thursday night to knot the National League Championship Series at 2 games a piece. With the 4-2 victory, Milwaukee guaranteed a game 6 at Miller Park (where they have a MLB-best 61 wins this season) and also snapped an eight-game road losing streak in the playoffs dating back to 1982. The Brewers were in desperate need of a quality start from someone not named Gallardo, and Wolf delivered the most clutch performance of his career. The crafty southpaw dominated Cardinal hitters through seven innings, striking out six while allowing one walk and six hits en route to his first postseason win. His only two blemishes were solo home runs by Matt Holliday and Allen Craig. The familiar K-Rod / Ax-Man combo finished off the game in the final two innings. To nobody’s surprise, Jerry Hairston continued his exquisite postseason play, smacking two doubles and a RBI. Ryan Braun, Yuni Betancourt, and George Kottaras also chipped in with RBIs, as the Brewers climbed out of an early 2-0 hole to rattle off four unanswered runs.
The win, in my opinion, was the biggest in franchise history. The Brewers send Zack Greinke out to face Jaime Garcia tomorrow night in a pivotal Game 5 in St. Louis. It seems as if the Cardinals bats have gone silent; they are 0-for-15 with runners in scoring position since the first inning of Game 4.
Game 6 will be in Milwaukee on Sunday night. Go Brewers!
Braun collects 2 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 2 R, 2 SB in W
In what was most likely his last start of the season, Marco Estrada twirled seven strong innings, earning his 4th win. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)
Milwaukee’s surge towards the postseason continued Tuesday evening at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. The Brewers beat the Pirates 11-4 behind a superb outing from spot starter Marco Estrada, who tossed seven innings allowing only two runs on no walks while striking out two. Milwaukee tied a season high with seventeen hits and scored seven runs in the second inning, their most in any inning this season, capped by Casey McGehee’s two-run shot, his 10th of the year. Prince Fielder cracked the century mark in RBI, driving in his 100th run with a double in the sixth inning. Nyjer Morgan had four hits, including two RBI, raising his batting average to .314. Corey Hart and Yuniesky Betancourt each had two hits and Jonthan Lucroy collected three base knocks and a RBI, putting his average at a solid .287. Every Brewer starter had a hit except for Estrada, who did have three sac-bunts. Ryan Braun was also a major contributor in the victory, going 2-for-3 with two doubles, two runs batted in, two walks, and two runs scored — he also stole his 27th and 28th bags. His batting average increased to .328 and his on-base percentage rose to .399.
With St. Louis getting pounded by the Dodgers, the Brewers increased their NL Central lead to TEN games, the largest in franchise history.
MIL 11, NYM 9: Beast Mode sparks rally in 9th
Prince Fielder crushed his 28th homer and drove in 4 in Milwaukee's 11-9 comeback win in New York.
Milwaukee southpaw Randy Wolf cruised into the seventh inning with a 7-1 lead over the New York Mets Saturday afternoon at Citi Field. Then things began to unravel. The Mets scored five runs in the seventh and three in the eighth to take a 9-7 lead into the ninth inning. However, Milwaukee wasn’t ready to pack it in quite yet. The final act of the game began when Jason Isringhausen took the hill, the rest as they say, is history.
Lucroy walked, Morgan walked, Hart singled.
Then Kotsay walked, scoring Lucroy. 9-8, Mets.
Isringhausen exited, Acosta entered. Braun flew out.
With 1 out, Fielder singled on an 0-2 pitch, scoring Morgan. 9-9.
McGehee then took the first pitch he saw and pushed a grounder through the hole scoring Hart and Kotsay to give the Brewers a 11-9 lead. Then, as is usual, the Ax Man locked it down 1-2-3, earning his 34th straight save and 37th overall.
Milwaukee picked up K-Rod, who got roughed up in his return to the Big Apple. But as good teams — championship caliber teams — do, the Brewers never gave up and stunned Citi Field. Prince Fielder was in full beast mode, going 2-for-5 with a single, home run (28), and four RBI, pushing his season total to a National League-leading 96. Yuniesky Betancourt cranked out his 10th long ball. Ryan Braun went 1-for-3 with a homer (24), two walks and three runs scored. His season batting average sits at .327.
The Brewers have now won 21 of 24 and extended their division lead to 8.5 games, the largest in franchise history.
Brewers flash leather as the beat goes on
The Brewers turned four double plays and a triple play in their 3-0 win over the Dodgers Monday night at Miller Park; Jerry Hairston Jr. played a large role in a few defensive gems.
There’s something special going on in Milwaukee, Wisconsin these days. The dog days of summer are upon us and the Milwaukee Brewers are hotter than ever — scorching, if you will. Milwaukee has stellar pitching, a loaded offensive lineup with two MVP candidates, and if that wasn’t enough, they began to really flash the leather Monday night at Miller Park.
With a 3-0 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Brewers improved to twenty games over .500 on the year (71-51) and thirty games over .500 at home (45-15). Milwaukee is 17-2 in their last 19 games and has a six game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Central.
Randy Wolf (10-8, 3.30) was masterful as he went eight scoreless innings, allowing only six hits while walking five and striking out five. He was also the beneficiary of some beautifully crafted defensive gems. Wolf got Andre Ethier to ground into a 6-4-3 double play to end the first inning. In the second, the Brewers turned the first triple play in the National League this season and the sixth in franchise history. Wolf surrendered a lead-off walk and single to put runners on first and second (Matt Kemp was running on the single but was forced to slide into second base thanks to Josh Wilson’s bluff, making Kemp think it was a ground ball therefore preventing him from reaching third on the hit-and-run). James Loney then broke his bat on a cue shot up the middle; Wilson smoothly fielded and flipped the ball with his glove to Yuniesky Betancourt who threw to Prince Fielder at first base to turn two; Kemp, trying to score from second base on the play, was then thrown out by Prince at the plate thanks to a diving tag by George Kottaras; 4-6-3-2 (the first triple play of that sort since 1973 — 151 triple plays have occurred in between the two). In the third inning, Jerry Hairston Jr. threw out Dodgers catcher Dioner Navarro at home. The fourth inning ended with a double play when Hairston made a diving catch in center then promptly stood up and threw out Ethier at first who was attempting to tag. In the bottom half of the fourth, Ryan Braun capitalized off of Lilly’s lone mistake and deposited his 23rd homer into deep left center on a 0-2 pitch with two outs, giving the Crew a 1-0 lead. The fifth inning saw a 3-6-1 double play, also courtesy of James Loney — who had his first two at-bats result in five outs. Wolf finally had his first 1-2-3 inning in the sixth, getting two ground ball outs with a strikeout of Ted Lilly squeezed in between. With the bases loaded and two outs in the seventh, Wolf got Navarro to fly out to Hairston. Jonathan Lucroy entered the game for Kottaras in the eighth and unleashed on a fastball, cranking out his 9th home run of the season and putting the Brewers up 2-0. Corey Hart followed by launching his 18th long ball into right field, giving the Crew a 3-0 lead. John Axford closed the door again, thanks to a game ending double play, Milwaukee’s fourth of the game. Axford earned his 32nd consecutive save and 35th of 2011. Ryan Braun went 2-for-4 on the night, raising his batting average to .328 and stealing his 23rd bag along the way.
Brewers in Beast Mode
Milwaukee shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt goes into "Beast Mode" after depositing a solo home run into the bleachers at Miller Park on Saturday.
With a 1-0 victory over the dwindling Bucs and a St. Louis loss to Colorado, the Milwaukee Brewers pushed their NL Central lead to five games. The Brewers have won 15 of 17 ballgames and are 18 games above .500 (69-51). Yuniesky Betancourt’s second inning solo blast was all Milwaukee needed Saturday as Marco Estrada (3-7, 4.46) pitched five scoreless innings in his first start since May 4. Brew Crew closer John Axford locked up his 34th save in 36 chances, working around a lead-off triple to earn his 31st save in a row. In case you haven’t noticed, Brewer hitters who reach base safely have recently begun to incorporate a new celebration — an arms out bear hug gesture paired with a gnarly, monstrous scream. Nyjer Morgan calls it “Beast Mode,” yet the origins are a bit more innocent. The actual story behind the grand display of fierceness comes courtesy of Prince Fielder. “It’s from Monsters, Inc.,” states Prince; “That’s my kids’ favorite movie. The whole team does it now. It’s something that I saw my kids do, and I thought it was funny, so I thought I might as well do it, too.” The whole team seems to have caught on, and turning to the dugout and waving your arms in a “scary” manner has become second nature to Milwaukee’s heavy hitters.
Brewers extend NL Central lead to 5 games
Prince Fielder and the Brewers have won 6 straight games and 13 of 14 overall.
With a 5-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals Wednesday night, the Milwaukee Brewers moved seventeen games over .500 (67-50) and pushed their lead in the division to five games. Milwaukee starter Randy Wolf was stellar throughout eight innings, allowing only one run on five hits and zero walks. Prince Fielder drove in runs 86 and 87 on the season while Corey Hart added two RBI himself, putting him at 43 for the year. The red-hot Yuniesky Betancourt tacked on his 50th RBI and Ryan Braun stole his 21st base. Milwaukee improved to 12-1 since the injury to Rickie Weeks, and have won six games in a row, including thirteen of their last fourteen.
Brewers sweep Cubs; Braun raises average to .328
Ryan Braun went 3-for-4 with a double, home run, and 2 RBI in the Brewers 4-2 victory over the Cubs Thursday at Miller Park.
Brewers aim for 5th road win in 6 tries
The Milwaukee Brewers send Zack Greinke to the mound tonight looking to take three of four in Arizona. Milwaukee has won four of its last five games on the road, reversing their losing trend when away from Miller Park. Here is Ron Roenicke’s lineup for the ballgame tonight, which resembles something that you might see in game 1 of a playoff series should the Brewers’ win the National League Central.
1. Corey Hart – rf
2. Nyjer Morgan – cf
3. Ryan Braun – lf
4. Prince Fielder – 1b
5. Rickie Weeks – 2b
6. Casey McGehee – 3b
7. Yuniesky Betancourt – ss
8. Jonathan Lucroy – c
9. Zack Greinke – rhp
The Diamondbacks send their best pitcher to the hill in Ian Kennedy, a ten game winner with a 3.39 earned run average and 113 strikeouts in 135.1 innings.
Brewers 11, D-backs 3
Corey Hart rounds third after his home run to lead off the game Tuesday night in Arizona. The Brewers smacked 5 homers in the 11-3 victory, their most since 2009. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
BATTING
HR: Betancourt 2 (7); Hart (13); Braun (17); Weeks (19)
RBI: Betancourt 4 (34); Hart 2 (31); Braun 2 (64); Weeks (42); Morgan (21); Gomez (19)
FIELDING
E: Betancourt (11, throw)
The Brewers’ return of all-star slugger Ryan Braun happened to coincide with the return of their powerful offense. Milwaukee hit five home runs, including three in the first inning, as they cruised to a 11-3 win over the Diamondbacks. Corey Hart started the game of with a bang, depositing a bomb deep into left center. Nyjer Morgan promptly followed with a single, and Ryan Braun drove him home with his 17th long ball on the season. Yuniesky Betancourt had his first career two-home run game, running his total to seven on the year. Rickie Weeks also went yard for the 19th time in 2011. Yovani Gallardo tossed six solid innings en route to his 11th victory. Milwaukee improved to 52-46 on the season and sits 0.5 game back of Pittsburgh in the top heavy NL Central.
A gif(t) for Brewer fans
The Brawn of Braun 