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Hall, Brewers roll past Pirates

Jul 4, 2008 - 10:39 PM By J.R. Radcliffe PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

MILWAUKEE (Ticker) -- One day after a remarkable bullpen collapse, the Milwaukee Brewers' offense made sure there would be no such drama.

J.J. Hardy and Bill Hall both homered, with the former going deep in a five-run fifth inning, as the Brewers slugged their way past the Pittsburgh Pirates, 9-1, on Friday.

The win provided a quick turnaround from the team's loss in Arizona on Thursday, when Milwaukee's bullpen allowed six runs without recording an out in the ninth to incur a 6-5 loss. Milwaukee still has won three of its last four games and beat Pittsburgh for a seventh straight time at home.

"It was big for us to get out to that early lead," Hall said. "Obviously, we're a little disappointed we lost yesterday, we felt like we had the game all wrapped up. Games like that happen.

"It was good for us to bounce back today and score early and continue to score runs. We made sure it didn't happen again."

Hardy, who extended his hitting streak to 16 games with a single in the first inning, finished 4-for-5, with a two-run homer jumpstarting a big inning against Pirates lefty Tom Gorzelanny (6-7). It was Hardy's second straight four-hit game.

"I think it's just the fact that my shoulder has been feeling good, and it's just been kind of falling for me," Hardy said about his recent hot streak. "This is definitely at the top of my hottest streaks ever."

Hall, relegated to a platoon role at third base with lefty slugger Russell Branyan, celebrated the first game of a three-game series in which the Brewers figured to see nothing but lefthanders. His two-run homer against Gorzelanny put the Brewers on the board in the second, and he finished a triple shy of the cycle with three RBI.

"I'm starting to get some confidence back," Hall said. "I've had a lot of time off here to work on things. I've been searching for a little while right now, and I think I'm finding some stuff and hopefully it keeps rolling."

Brewers starter Ben Sheets (10-2) was far from his efficient self, leaving after throwing 120 pitches in 5 2/3 innings. He stranded at least one run in scoring position every frame, but still limited the Pirates to one run despite giving up eight hits and three walks. Four of Sheets' six strikeouts came in the fifth and sixth.

"He struggled and didn't have anything to finish off anybody today," Brewers manager Ned Yost said. "He was 0-and-2 five times on hitters and he would take them to 3-2, with four or five or six foul balls on consecutive pitches. That's what got his pitch count so high. He just didn't have finish on his pitches to get hitters out of the way."

"They're not going to swing at balls way off the plate," Sheets added. "I'll take them as they come. If today was a bad one, I'll take them as they come. That's good enough for me."

Xavier Nady doubled home a run in the third against Sheets, but the Pirates ultimately left a runner at third base in that inning and each of the subsequent two innings. In the fourth and fifth, the runner stood at third with one out and did not score.

"You look at the scoring opportunities, and we had some," Pirates manager John Russell said. "But that's why (Sheets) is one of the better pitchers. We got him up in pitch count pretty good. Even though we didn't get the big hit early, we put him in a situation where we could get him out of the game early, and we just couldn't hold them."

Jason Kendall had an RBI single in the fourth to give the Brewers a 3-1 lead and Milwaukee exploded for five runs in the fifth, which included Hardy's two-run homer. Corey Hart and Hall each had RBI singles in the inning as well.

Prince Fielder snapped out of an 0-for-13 stretch with a double in the fifth, then followed with an RBI double in the sixth, which capped the Brewers' scoring.

Gorzelanny surrendered eight runs - seven earned - and 11 hits in 4 2/3 innings. The lefthander fell to 1-6 with a 9.24 ERA in eight road starts.

Carlos Villanueva worked the game's final 3 1/3 innings, earning his first save of the season. He allowed only one hit and one walk with three strikeouts and became the sixth different Brewers reliever to record a save in 2008.