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Helms powers Marlins past Brewers

Apr 27, 2008 - 11:43 PM By David Cotey PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

MILWAUKEE (Ticker) - Wes Helms enjoyed his return trip to Milwaukee in a big way.

Helms' home run to lead off the top of the 10th inning gave the Florida Marlins a 3-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday at Miller Park.

The 31-year-old Helms, who drove in the winning run against Milwaukee Friday with a 10th-inning groundout, hit an 0-2 offering from Seth McClung (1-1) over the left-field wall for his first home run of the season.

"Luckily he threw what I was looking for," Helms said. "It's one of those situations where I'm guessing fastball and if he throws a curveball, I probably look like Bugs Bunny swinging out there."

Helms, filling in for injured first baseman Mike Jacobs, played for the Brewers from 2003-05.

"He's a good player," Florida manager Fredi Gonzalez said of Helms, who joined the Marlins late in spring training after being released by the Philadelphia Phillies. "Let's keep him going. Luckily he hit the ball out of the ballpark. If not, we still might be playing."

As he was throughout the series, Helms was booed every time he came to the plate Sunday.

"If you boo me, it's going to motivate me," Helms said. "If you boo me, I'm going to beat your team, or at least try to."

Matt Lindstrom (1-0) worked around two walks in a scoreless ninth inning for the win, and Kevin Gregg allowed a hit and a walk and stranded a runner at third in the 10th for his fourth save.

The Marlins took a 2-1 lead in the sixth inning off Brewers starter Manny Parra. With one out, Josh Willingham walked and scored on Jorge Cantu's double into the left field corner. Helms plated Cantu with his single to right.

The Marlins bullpen allowed just one run in five innings.

"We've got a great bullpen," Marlins starting pitcher Ricky Nolasco said. "They're working hard and working a lot. Hopefully (the starters) can take some strain off them."

The Marlins squandered a scoring opportunity in the top of the seventh when Brewers reliever Derrick Turnbow loaded the bases by allowing a hit and issuing two walks to the first three batters he faced. Lefthander Mitch Stetter relieved Turnbow and struck out Jeremy Hermida and Willingham before getting Cantu to pop out.

"My initial thought was to try to get a strikeout and then try to get a ground ball to get a double play," Stetter said. "It worked out well."

Stetter's performance proved to be huge, because in the bottom of the inning, Bill Hall, who came into the game with Stetter as part of a double switch, homered off reliever Taylor Tankersley to tie the score at 2-2.

Both starting pitchers performed well, but neither figured in the decision. Nolasco allowed just one run, two hits and four walks in five innings. Parra gave up two runs on six hits and three walks in 5 1/3 innings for the Brewers, who have played extra innings in six of the last 11 games.

"It wears a lot on bullpen," Brewers manager Ned Yost said of the extra-inning affairs. "We're catching a bit of a break with the off day tomorrow. Everybody could use a break."

The Brewers scored just six runs in the series.

"We hit the ball hard, but that's what happens when you're struggling to score runs - you just can't find those holes," Yost said. "Over the course of the year, it evens itself out somehow. It doesn't feel like it when you're going through it."