Game Ninety Eight: Brewers 5, Diamondbacks 2

Box Score 

I missed the bulk of this game because I was at Qwest Field watching Manchester United mercilessly dismantle the Sounders. However, I did make it home in time to watch the 10th inning, which is something of a miracle.

I followed the score on my phone while I was taking the bus home. I was feeling pretty good when I saw the Brewers were up 3-0. But then the score changed to 2-0 after Braun's alleged homer was ruled a foul ball. This score change gave me a bad feeling, which was quickly validated when K-Rod surrendered the lead with two outs in the bottom of the 8th.

I checked the score once more after I left the bus and saw the Diamondbacks had a runner at third with nobody out in the bottom of the 9th. At this point I conceded defeat and started writing a post in my head about how this game was such a downer. I arrived home and went online to retrieve the box score for this post only to discover that it was the top of the 10th. Let's just say that I was pleasantly surprised.

The top of the 10th came and went, and when it was all over the Brewers lead 5-2. Axford walked the leadoff man in the bottom of the frame (just for kicks, I assume), but the runner was quickly erased by a 4-6-3 double play. Axford carved up Willie Bloomquist on three pitches, giving the Brewers an unlikely win and sole possession of first place. As Bob Uecker would say: "How about that one, folks?"

I am thrilled with the victory and ecstatic that the Brewers improved to 4-3 on this trip. I'm also impressed that the Brewers were able to win this game in quite possibly the most difficult manner imaginable. Seriously. The Brewers must be on a quest to give everybody in Milwaukee a heart attack.

Other notes:

-Carlos Gomez broke his clavicle and will out for a while. The Brewers needs as much defense as they can get and Gomez is huge asset in the field and as a pinch runner. This is not good news.

-Ryan Braun does not appear to be bothered by his calf anymore.

-Had the Brewers lost tonight the debate would have been about relieving Narveson with of K-Rod. Win or lose, I would have been fine with this move. In his career, Narveson has a 6.94 ERA from innings 6-8. )This includes relief appearances and does not include his work in the 9th inning) Narveson is a soft-tossing lefty that become a lot more vulnerable each time through the lineup. Replacing him with a K-Rod and his career 2.53 ERA was not a bad move.