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Streaks and streakers abound as Brewers edge Phillies

May 18, 2007 - 2:14 AM PHILADELPHIA (Ticker) -- The Philadelphia Phillies had a three-game winning streak. The Milwaukee Brewers had a four-game losing streak. And both were treated Thursday to a fan with a brazen streak.

In a game that saw a naked fan run onto the field at Citizens Bank Park, the Brewers ended both streaks with a 3-2 victory as Ben Sheets pitched 7 2/3 strong innings and Gabe Gross hit a pair of homers.

The Brewers (26-15) averted their first sweep of the season and pushed their major league-leading home run total to 55. The Phillies (20-21) were denied their first sweep and prevented from clearing .500 for the first time this season.

"There's a huge difference between going home winning the last game (of a series) and not winning any of them," Brewers manager Ned Yost said. "It's good to get out of here with a win, as hard fought as it was.

"We had some opportunities to score some runs, but we got just enough to make it count. Benny pitched great."

In the top of the seventh inning, a male fan in his birthday suit ran out of the left field stands onto the field and eventually was tackled by security near shortstop.

"I saw him immediately," said Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins, who was the closest player to the fan. "When he hit the ground and was up, I was like, 'Somebody come get this man.' I just started walking out of the way, because he was running toward second."

A member of the grounds crew helped security when he stopped working on the second base bag and threw a hip check which sent the man sprawling to the ground.

"I got real blushed," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "I wasn't trying to look. It happened so quick. The first time I saw him, he was on the ground."

That served as no distraction to Sheets (4-2), who gave up two runs, five hits and one walk, striking out eight. The righthander has not lost in six starts since April 15, going 3-0 with a 3.30 ERA during that span (9 ER 22.1).

"You don't want to give four (games) away," Sheets said. "A 2-5 road trip? We didn't play that bad. We had some bad games, but we didn't play (like) 2-5, but that's what it said. We're going home and I think we need to take a series there."

With two outs in the eighth, Sheets gave up a double off the wall by Aaron Rowand and an RBI single by Shane Victorino. That brought on closer Francisco Cordero, who struck out Jimmy Rollins to end the rally.

"(Sheets) seems like he's hittable, because his ball is so straight, but it's not," Victorino said. "You see the ball, but you can't put a swing on it."

Cordero survived the ninth after allowing a one-out double to Pat Burrell that hit off the top of the fence and bounced back into play for his 16th save and first since May 9.

"I thought it was a home run," Cordero said. "He hit a hanging slider. Every time you hit a hanging slider, it goes a long way. As soon as it hit the wall and came back, I said I got a chance to get the save."

Although the Brewers had homered in their last 12 games, Gross came into the game hitless in his last 14 at-bats, dropping his average to .167 with his lone homer of the season coming April 8. He never had faced Philadelphia starter Freddy Garcia.

"For me, 0-for-14 seemed like forever since the last time I got a hit," Gross said. "To come in today in a game we really needed to win, Ned threw me into the lineup and I was able to produce and help."

But in his first two at-bats, Gross hit opposite-field homers to almost the identical spot in the left-center field seats. The first came in the third inning on the first pitch and forged a 1-1 tie. The second came on an 0-1 count in the fifth and gave the Brewers the lead.

"That's something I've struggled with all year," Gross said. "Just getting a little too pull-happy and popping them up instead of driving them (to the opposite field). Both of those I was able to stay with and hit them hard."

Yost did not seem surprised by the outburst.

"We had early hitting yesterday and Gabe lost half our balls," Yost said. "In batting practice today, he was doing the same thing. He just carried it over into the game. Those were two big home runs."

Meanwhile, Garcia came in trying to continue Philadelphia's recent strong run of pitching that peaked on Wednesday with Cole Hamels' bid for a perfect game. Hamels did not allow a baserunner until the seventh inning of a 6-2 win.

Aside from Gross, Garcia had a pretty good handle on the Brewers. He worked out of a jam in the fifth, striking out Tony Gwynn Jr. and getting Craig Counsell on a flyout with runners at second and third.

In the sixth, Garcia appeared to have had enough of Gross, pitching around him for a walk that loaded the bases. Geoff Geary - who made a mess of Garcia's last start - came on and got Tony Graffanino to bounce into a force play.

Garcia gave up two runs, seven hits and two walks in 5 2/3 innings, striking out five. The righthander remained winless since April 22.

"I feel like it's just a matter of time before he'll take you into the seventh or eighth inning," Manuel said.

The Brewers added a run in the eighth on Johnny Estrada's RBI double.

The Phillies scored in the second when Burrell connected for his fifth homer, a shot to center field. Often a target of the boobirds at Citizens Bank Park, Burrell is heating up with four homers and 10 RBI in his last seven games.