Brewers need 11 innings to finish sweep of Phils

[July 03, 2015]  PHILADELPHIA -- The way the Milwaukee Brewers' season is going, a four-game sweep on the road is about as good as it gets.

Even when that sweep comes against the only team in Major League Baseball with a worse record.

Adam Lind singled home the winning run in the 11th inning, and the Brewers completed a four-game sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies with an 8-7 win Thursday.

"It's a four-game road sweep, any road sweep in a four-game series, that's not easy to do," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "Wins are wins, and these were good wins. ... We really battled to get those wins."

The Brewers blew a 7-4 lead in the seventh inning before pulling out their fifth consecutive victory.

With one out in the 11th, Lind hit a first-pitch fastball from Phillies reliever Luis Garcia into center field to score catcher Jonathan Lucroy, who led off the inning with a double.

Garcia (2-3) allowed one run on two hits in his only inning.

Milwaukee reliever Michael Blazek (5-2) pitched two scoreless innings, and Francisco Rodriguez threw a scoreless 11th for his 18th save of the season in as many opportunities.

The Brewers (33-48) swept the Phillies (27-54) in their home ballpark for the second time in a row, but it was the first time that Milwaukee ever swept Philadelphia in a four-game series.

The Brewers averaged seven runs per game for the sweep, nearly double their average for the season.

"We have a lot of guys that are contributing right now, and that leads to a lot of runs," Counsell said. "I think we hoped all along that this offense would put up some pretty good numbers if you get a bunch of guys in the lineup going."

Getting swept is nothing new for the Phillies, who have gone without a win in seven different series this season.

Lucroy and shortstop Jean Segura each had three hits for Milwaukee. Philadelphia center fielder Odubel Herrera and second baseman Cesar Hernandez had three hits apiece.

Both teams finished with 16 hits.

Milwaukee was cruising until the Phillies mounted a comeback in the seventh against Brewers relievers Jonathan Broxton and Will Smith.

An RBI double by first baseman Ryan Howard scored Hernandez and chased Broxton, but Smith couldn't preserve the lead. He gave up another RBI single, to center fielder Ben Revere, before walking left fielder Cody Asche and giving up a game-tying single to shortstop Freddy Galvis.

"I feel like I've been in here two months, and every night I say the bullpen's been great," Counsell said. "They're going to give up runs, that's OK. We fought back, and that's what a team win is."

The game-tying rally was enough for the Phillies to bail out starting pitcher Chad Billingsley, who didn't look good in his first start back after a month out with a right shoulder strain. He allowed seven runs (six earned) on 10 hits and three walks in five innings.

"I thought he looked pretty healthy today, he's struggling because he's coming back from issues that he's had," Phillies interim manager Pete Mackanin said. "I thought he threw OK, but it's a work in progress."

The Brewers jumped on Billingsley with three straight hits after a leadoff walk to left fielder Gerardo Parra, making it 2-0 before the Phillies could get an out.

By the end of the first inning, it was 3-0. By the midpoint of the second, it was 4-0 after an RBI double by Parra.

Asche cut the deficit in half with a two-run shot to right-center field in the bottom of the second, his fourth home run of the year.

After the Brewers re-extended their lead to three with a run in the top of the third, a two-run single by Herrera in the bottom of the fourth made it 5-4.

"It was a fun game until the end, obviously, but to come back like that, it was nice to see," Mackanin said.

Milwaukee made it a three-run lead again in the top of the fifth on Segura's two-run single.

Brewers starter Matt Garza gave up four runs on 10 hits in six innings.
 

NOTES: To make room for RHP Chad Billingsley on the roster before his start, the Phillies placed RHP Aaron Harang on the disabled list due to plantar fasciitis. Harang (4-11, 4.08 ERA) lost each of his past eight starts after opening the season 4-3 with a 2.02 ERA. ... The road team won the past 10 series between the Milwaukee and Philadelphia. ... Phillies 3B Maikel Franco was selected National League Rookie of the Month for June. Franco, the first Phillie to receive the award since 1B Ryan Howard in September 2005, batted .352 with eight doubles, eight home runs and 24 RBIs during the month.

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