Brewers go into the All-Star break with an extra inning win

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HOUSTON - Corey Hart and Rickie Weeks hit run-scoring singles in the 10th inning yesterday to give the Milwaukee Brewers a 5-3 win at Houston.

Zack Greinke became only the second pitcher in the Majors this year to start back-to-back games. He got ejected after just four pitches on Saturday for throwing the ball to the ground in anger. For now, Greinke is also scheduled to start on Friday night when the Brewers return from the All-Star break to host Pittsburgh. If it happens, Greinke will become the first pitcher in 95 years to start three straight games in the same season. Red Faber did it with the Chicago White Sox in 1917, starting both ends of a double-header and a game the next day. Greinke lasted only three innings yesterday, after giving up all three of Houston’s runs in the first inning – the last on a bases-loaded walk to Chris Snyder.

Weeks homered to right in the second. Aramis Ramirez had a pair of RBI singles in the sixth and eighth to tie it. In the 10th, Fernando Rodriguez walked the bases loaded before he gave up the game-winning hits. He took the loss to fall to 1-8. Manny Parra pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for the win. He’s 1-3. John Axford put runners on second-and-third before striking out Jose Altuve and Scott Moore to get his 15th save. Norichika Aoki singled to start the game, and extended his hitting streak to 15 games. Milwaukee enters the All-Star break at 40-45, seven games out of Wild Card contention and eight behind first-place Pittsburgh in the NL Central.

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The Brewers sent utility infielder Taylor Green down to Triple-“A” Nashville yesterday. Manager Ron Roenicke says Green needs some more at-bats, so he can get his swing back. He was mainly in a pinch-hitting role with the Brewers, batting .198 in 81 at-bats with two homers and 10 RBI’s. Roenicke says the Brewers will add a position player to the roster sometime this week. Green was called up in early May after a series of injuries to Mat Gamel, Alex Gonzalez, and Carlos Gomez. Roenicke says it’s been a long time since Green has had 3-to-5 at-bats in a game – and he says the job gets more difficult when a person’s not playing. Green said he had some good at-bats with Milwaukee, but he agrees that he needs to find a way to get better numbers off the bench.

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Brewers’ prospect Scooter Gennett had a strong showing at yesterday’s All-Star Futures’ Game in Kansas City. Gennett walked and scored as part of a nine-run sixth inning for a team of American-born minor leaguers in a 17-5 rout of the World team of foreign-born prospects. Gennett, who plays for the Brewers’ Double-“A” farm club at Huntsville, entered the game as a reserve. He went 1-for-3 with a double and a pair of runs scored. The 22-year-old Gennett was the Brewers’ only representative in the 14th annual Futures Game – which has included the likes of Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder, Corey Hart, Rickie Weeks, and Yovani Gallardo. No Brewers will be in tonight’s All-Star Home Run Derby for the first time since 2006. Former Brewer Prince Fielder of Detroit will be among the four American League sluggers taking part. Braun will be the only Brewer in tomorrow night’s All-Star Game in Kansas City.

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