Marlins Brew Up Another Loss

Milwaukee's Dave Bush was hot, Marlins Johnson, not so much

Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Dave Bush turned in his third straight seven-inning outing, Prince Fielder hit the go-ahead home run and the Brewers completed a three-game sweep of the Florida Marlins with a 5-3 victory Thursday.

Bush struck out seven while giving up six hits and three runs, only two of which were earned. He was followed by Mark DiFelice and Trevor Hoffman, neither of whom allowed a baserunner for a rapidly improving Brewers bullpen.

It was a short afternoon for Florida starter Josh Johnson, who walked five in only four innings. Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez said he took Johnson out of the game because he felt "something" in his shoulder, but Johnson should be able to make his next start.

The Marlins took a 1-0 lead when Dan Uggla scored on a wild pitch by Bush in the second. Bill Hall's two-run homer in the bottom half of the inning - the 100th of his career - gave Milwaukee a 2-1 lead.

The Brewers then took a 3-1 lead in the third thanks to some sloppy fielding by the Marlins.

After Johnson issued back-to-back walks to Rickie Weeks and J.J. Hardy, Ryan Braun hit a grounder to third. Emilio Bonifacio fielded the ball and stepped on third for a force out, but threw wildly to first and Hardy came all the way around to score.

Hanley Ramirez doubled and scored on an error by Weeks at second base in the fourth, cutting the Brewers' lead to 3-2.
Meanwhile, the Marlins have lost four straight and their 11-1 start to the season suddenly seems like a long time ago.

"We're not really pretty to watch right now," Gonzalez said. "But we're a good club."
Ross Gload said the Marlins expect to regroup soon.

"We had a great run early on," Gload said. "But once we get it all together, I think things will be right back where they should be."

Gload tied it at 3 with a solo homer to lead off the fifth - and this time, he didn't flirt with the foul pole. He had a home run taken away after an instant replay review Wednesday night, with umpires reversing the original call and ruling the ball foul. Gload eventually struck out in that at-bat.

In the bottom half of the inning, Fielder clubbed a 2-2 pitch from reliever Burke Badenhop just over the wall in left-center field.

J.J. Hardy added an RBI single with two outs in the sixth for a 5-3 lead. Hardy also made a heads-up play in the field, cutting down a runner at home plate in the fifth.

"That was a big play - very big play," Bush said.

 

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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