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Brewers win game, lose ace Sheets

Apr 19, 2008 - 3:36 AM CINCINNATI (Ticker) -- The Milwaukee Brewers are not taking any chances when it comes to Ben Sheets health.

Bill Hall homered and the bullpen picked up the slack in Sheets' absence as the Milwaukee Brewers posted a 5-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Friday.

Sheets (3-0), who outdueled New York Mets ace Johan Santana on Saturday, has allowed just three earned runs in 28 innings.

Sheets continued his strong start by throwing five scoreless innings before leaving with tightness in his right triceps. The team said the move was precautionary.

"He was throwing fine, but I'm not taking any chances with Ben Sheets in April," Brewers manager Ned Yost said.

The injury-prone righthander still managed to pick up the win, leaving with a 4-0 lead after Hall blasted a two-run shot in the third.

"It's April, and you don't take any chances," Yost said. "Especially with a four-run lead."

Sheets implied that the tightness that he was feeling was not something new.

"It was sore, and had been sore since (the day after) that last game (in New York)," Sheets said. "I'm sure it just flared up, and maybe it's something I can work out."

Salomon Torres relieved Sheets and threw two scoreless innings before Mitch Stetter got the final two outs of the eighth.

"The bullpen keeps on standing up and doing their job big time," Yost said.

David Riske entered the ninth in a 5-0 game but allowed two straight singles. Adam Dunn then sliced the lead to 5-1 with an RBI single to right field, causing Yost to bring in closer Eric Gagne.

Gagne allowed an RBI single to Edwin Encarnacion but struck out Javier Valentin and Paul Bako to pick up his fifth save of the season.

Milwaukee took a 2-0 lead in the first as Prince Fielder provided a sacrifice fly and Corey Hart drove in a run with a single. Hall extended the lead to 4-0 with his sixth homer of the season - a two-run shot off Reds starter Bronson Arroyo - in the third.

Hall was 1-for-14 with 10 strikeouts lifetime against Arroyo before his at-bat in the third.

"He's owned me over the years when we faced each other. Whether I have good at-bats or bad at-bats it always ends up in an out," Hall said. "But I guess if I'm gonna get one off of him I might as well make it like that."

Arroyo (0-2) allowed five runs - four earned - and eight hits in 5 2/3 innings. The righthander struck out four and walked three.