• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Brewers continue push for playoffs behind Sabathia

Sep 25, 2008 - 4:31 AM By David Cotey PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

MILWAUKEE (Ticker) -- CC Sabathia is doing all he can to keep the Milwaukee Brewers' playoff hopes alive.

Milwaukee managed just two hits, but Sabathia matched a season-high with 11 strikeouts as the Brewers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-2, on Wednesday.

Milwaukee (87-71), which has not made the playoffs since 1982 - the longest postseason drought in professional sports - pulled even with the New York Mets in the National League wild card. New York (87-71) dropped a 9-6 decision in 10 innings to the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday night.

"Every game's a playoff game," Sabathia said. "We're still breathing. We just have to go out and play our type of ball every day for the rest of the week and see what happens. We need to get in the playoffs."

Along with Thursday's series finale with Pittsburgh, the Brewers have a three-game set with Chicago before the end of the regular season. If necessary, Sabathia will take the mound for Sunday's season finale.

Sabathia (10-2) was dominant despite pitching on three day's rest for the second straight outing. He recorded his 19th career double-digit strikeout game and allowed one run, four hits and two walks over seven innings. It was the 12th time in 16 starts with the Brewers that the hefty lefthander has pitched seven or more innings.

The win snapped a mini-skid for the 2007 American League Cy Young Award winner, who was 0-2 in his previous four starts and had not won since a one-hit performance against the Pirates on August 31.

"That guy's done everything he can for this organization whether we sign him back or not," Brewers interim manager Dale Sveum said. "He's just one of those special human beings that come around once in awhile. You hope to God you make the playoffs and make that (trade for Sabathia) really, really look like the best trade of all-time.

"It's catapulted us to this position, and obviously (there is) a chance for it to come down to Sunday. If it's tied or whatever, you'll probably see the best pitcher in baseball go out there (again)."

The 28-year-old free-agent-to-be said he'd welcome an opportunity to pitch in the regular-season finale at home against the Cubs, which would be his third start in 12 days.

"If it matters, I want to pitch," Sabathia said. "No matter how many day's rest, I want to be out there. I could throw 175 (pitches) - whatever it takes right now at this point to get us in the playoffs. You only get a certain number of opportunities to get in the playoffs and win a championship and that's what I'm trying to do."

Milwaukee reliever Eric Gagne pitched a scoreless eighth and closer Salomon Torres allowed a home run to Adam LaRoche in the ninth but picked up his 28th save.

It was the third straight win for the Brewers, who improved to 7-15 in September.

"We're one of those teams," Sabathia said. "We get hot and we get cold. Hopefully, this week we'll be hot."

Milwaukee took advantage of Pirates starter Paul Maholm's wildness while taking a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. Prince Fielder had an RBI single and Maholm (9-9) issued four walks, including back-to-back free passes to Rickie Weeks and Jason Kendall with the bases loaded.

"A lot of times before, we'd wait for a three-run home run, or a two-run home run, but for the most part now, the situation we're in, we're trying to get runs in and put the pressure on the other team," Weeks said. "When you see the playoffs on TV, it's a one-run, two-run game. You can't wait for the home run all the time."

Corey Hart made it 4-1 with a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning for the Brewers, who have beaten the Pirates 11 straight times, the second-longest winning streak against a team in franchise history.

Maholm allowed four runs - three earned - and two hits with six walks over six innings for Pittsburgh, which has lost eight straight road games.

"I thought he was throwing the ball real well," said Pirates manager John Russell, whose team has lost seven of its last nine games. "He had that one inning where he kind of stumbled. It's unfortunate."