The Phillies ripped 4 homers against the Brewers yesterday and they couldn’t overcome it. Jeff Suppan got the start and he was horrible working the first three innings in which he allowed 6 hits, 5 earned runs, walked 2 batters and whiffed 3. He earned the loss by allowing 3 homers in the game. Yovani Gallardo replaced Suppan in the game and he pitched well working 3 innings and allowing only 1 hit and no runs. Manny Parra followed Gallardo and he was also very effective pitching 1.2 innings allowing 0 runs and whiffing 3 batters. Ryan Braun had a good game with the bat in his hands going 2 for 4 with a RBI. Prince Fielder went 1 for 4 and his hit was a solo homer. J.J. Hardy also had a solid game going 2 for 4. The Brewers’ season ends as they lose this series 3-1 to the Phillies but they still had a good season in 2008.

With the Brewers’ backs against the wall yesterday some of their complementary players stepped up big time. J.J. Hardy had a great game going 3 for 4 with 1 run scored and 1 RBI. Bill Hall (1 run scored) and Jason Kendall (1 RBI) were each 2 for 4 yesterday against the Phillies. Mike Cameron led off for the Brewers and he had a solid game going 1 for 2 with 2 runs scored. David Bush started the game and he was outstanding. He pitched the first 5.1 innings yesterday for the Brewers and he allowed 5 hits, 1 earned runs and whiffed 3 batters. Bush was the winning pitcher for the Brewers. Mitch Stetter, Carlos Villanueva and Eric Gagne followed Bush by working 2.2 scoreless innings allowing only 1 hit. Salomon Torres struggled in the 9th inning allowing 3 hits but no one scored off of him as he earned the save. The Brewers are now down 2-1 in this series.

The Brewers had another horrible night as they could only muster 3 hits off of the Phillies last night. Ryan Braun was 2 for 4 and J.J. Hardy was 1 for 3 with a run scored and a RBI but that was it for the Brewers on offense. C.C. Sabathia picked a awful time to pitch his worst game for the Brewers. He worked the first 3.2 innings last night for the Brewers and he allowed 6 hits, 5 earned runs, walked 4 batters and whiffed 5. Mitch Stetter, Seth McClung, Eric Gagne and Salomon Torres worked a combined 4.1 scoreless innings in this game to keep the Brewers within striking distance. The Brewers are now down 2-0 in this series.

The Brewers looked hopeless with the bats until the 9th inning when they had a small rally off of Brad Lidge before folding up the tent and calling it a day. Prince Fielder (0 for 4, 3 whiffs), Jason Kendall (0 for 3, 2 K’s), Rickie Weeks (0 for 2, 2 K’s and a error) and Mike Cameron (0 for 3, 2 whiffs) didn’t do anything to help the team yesterday. Ray Durham, Ryan Braun, Corey Hart and Craig Counsell each had one hit apiece and that was it for the Brewers on offense in Philly. Yovani Gallardo was the losing pitcher despite not giving up any earned runs yesterday. He worked the first 4 innings allowing 3 hits, walking 5 batters and whiffing 3 while allowing 3 unearned runs. The bullpen was solid with 4 relievers working the last 4 innings of the game and not allowing any runs. The Brewers are now down 0-1 to the Phillies and they are in a must win mode now with C.C. Sabathia starting Game #2.

The Brewers will battle the Phillies in the first round of the playoffs starting tomorrow in Philly. The Brewers will have to outhit the Phillies to win this series as Ben Sheets is out with a elbow injury. Yovani Gallardo will start the opener tomorrow against Cole Hamels and that is not a good matchup for the Brewers. Gallardo has good stuff but he has only started 4 games this season due to injury. C.C. Sabathia will follow Gallardo in the rotation and the Brewers better hope he brings his A-Game because last season he was ripped by the Red Sox. Still, in 17 starts with the Brewers, Sabathia is 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. It’s up in the air as to who will pitch in game #3 and #4 for the Brewers. The Brewers have a lot of power but they whiff a lot which sometimes kills rallies. Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun are the Brewers’ top two hitters but J.J Hardy, Mike Cameron and Corey Hart all have good power.

PREDICTION FOR SERIES: PHILLIES IN 4 GAMES