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Brewers score 3 in 12th to top Phillies

Apr 19, 2011 - 6:12 AM Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Rickie Weeks scored on a Ryan Braun sacrifice fly and the Milwaukee Brewers broke open a hotly-contested game with a three-run 12th inning to earn a 6-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.

Braun went 3-for-4 and drove in two runs, while Yuniesky Betancourt managed two RBI despite going 0-for-5 from the plate, helping the Brewers snap a three-game losing streak.

Brandon Kintzler (1-0) closed the game with two scoreless innings to pick up the victory. Shaun Marcum carried Milwaukee into the seventh with six strong innings of work, allowing just one unearned run and five hits, while striking out five.

"He pitched a pretty good game. He had us off balance all night long," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said pf Marcum.

Kyle Kendrick (0-1) suffered the loss for Philadelphia, as he allowed all three of the Brewers' 12th-inning runs. Recently maligned starter Joe Blanton turned in his best outing of the young season, allowing just two runs in seven innings of work.

Shane Victorino, Ryan Howard and pinch-hitter Pete Orr each drove in a run for the Phillies. Orr's RBI came on a single in the bottom of the ninth inning, tying the game at 3-3 and sending it into extras.

The Phillies' undoing began with Weeks' leadoff walk in the 12th. The following batter, Carlos Gomez, laid down a sacrifice bunt. Kendrick fielded the bunt and sailed a throw past first baseman Ryan Howard, giving the Brewers runners on first and third with no outs. Braun drove in the go-ahead run with a sac fly to center. Kendrick continued to unravel, hitting Prince Fielder, then throwing a wild pitch. After intentionally walking Casey McGehee to load the bases, Kendrick allowed Betancourt to sail a fly ball to left, scoring Gomez. Jonathan Lucroy followed with a single to right, scoring Fielder, before McGehee was thrown out at home by Ben Francisco to end the inning.

Philadelphia threatened in the bottom half of the 12th, bringing the tying run to the plate twice in the form of Howard and Francisco, but Howard lined out to short and Francisco flied out to right, effectively squelching any chance of a comeback.

The Phillies' most significant threat came in the seventh inning. Reliever Sean Green spelled Marcum to begin the frame and Philadelphia took kindly to the change. With one out, Wilson Valdez reached base on a McGehee fielding error. Ross Gload, pinch-hitting for Blanton, singled to left, giving Philadelphia runners on first and third. The following batter, Shane Victorino, squibbed a dribbler up the first base line. Fielder made a play on the ball and elected to go home, where Valdez slid in safely under the high throw, tying the game and bringing Placido Polanco to the plate with runners at first and second and one out.

The rally was dramatically cut short by Betancourt, however, who delivered a spectacularly athletic play to deliver the Brewers from danger. With the count at 0-1, Polanco ripped a sinker back at pitcher Sergio Mitre. The ball grazed off the back of Mitre and caromed into the air. Betancourt reacted with grace, charging the ball and diving onto the infield grass to pluck it out of mid-air, before firing to second to double-up pinch runner Michael Martinez.

Betancourt gave then Brewers the lead back in the eighth, as his run-scoring groundout plated Braun.

"This is a great win," said Kintzler. "The bus ride (from Washington) was kind of quiet. Today everyone was loosey-goosey. Everyone was ready to go."

Howard plated Polanco with a single in the first inning, but Gomez and Braun each had run-scoring hits in the third.

Game Notes

Blanton entered the game with a 0-1 record and a 10.45 ERA on the season...Weeks saw his 10-game hit streak come to an end...Last season, Philadelphia won its first five meeting with Milwaukee before losing the final matchup of the season on Sept. 5.