It had all the makings of an inspirational win which might propel the Brewers into some better times. With a Sheets-pitched finale pending on Memorial Day and a long homestand scheduled to begin the day after, Milwaukee was eying the game today as a true springboard. Those plans seemed to have disappeared when Washington moved out to a 6-0 lead at the expense of Manny Parra, but suddenly it looked like the Brewers would add even more spring to the board by staging a dramatic comeback. They put together their best inning of the season in the sixth, scoring six times to tie the game. Then in the seventh Milwaukee made back to back tremendous defensive plays to hold the Nationals down and keep the game tied; the kind of plays which can raise everyone's spirits and spur a team to greatness. But despite the brilliance of the leather-slinging Gabe Kapler and Rickie Weeks, the offense remained quiet, and Washington went on to pop the Brewers' balloon in the bottom of the ninth. The winning run scored on a wild pitch, which is surely not the thing of inspiration, with the final tote board showing a 7-6 Washington win. Now instead of a Sunday bounce, the Brewers must win in the last game of the road trip or they will have lost three of four to one of the NL's bottom-feeders to finish the long road trip on a decidedly down note.
This is why you need an ace. Let's see what Ben Sheets can do on Monday with owner Mark Attanasio, GM Doug Melvin, and Assistant GM Gord Ash all watching from the team box at Nationals Park. The road trip stands at 3-6 with one more to go.