Braun's big night gives Burns, Crew win

MILWAUKEE -- It took him 48 appearances for four Major League teams in three seasons, but Mike Burns finally has a win on his record.

Burns pitched 6 2/3 strong innings for his first Major League victory, and Ryan Braun drove in four runs and scored another as the Brewers doubled up Johan Santana and the Mets, 6-3, on Tuesday night at Miller Park.

He needed help and it came mostly from Braun, who led the Brewers back from an early 2-0 deficit. Braun hit an RBI single in the third inning, then cleared the bases with a three-run double in the fourth and finished the trip around the bases thanks to a throwing error charged to Santana (9-6).

Corey Hart and Braun had three hits apiece, and the top four hitters in the lineup combined to go 9-for-17 with five runs scored and five RBIs.

"We were able to get some big hits," Braun said. "Sometimes when you face a great pitcher like that, you need a break or two."

The Brewers (42-35) got a couple of breaks in the decisive fourth inning. The first came with one out when Santana uncharacteristically walked Burns on four pitches. Hart followed with a fly ball to center field that should have been the second out, but Mets outfielder Fernando Martinez slipped on a loose piece of turf and the baseball fell for a lucky double.

J.J. Hardy followed with another walk that loaded the bases for Braun, who had lined an RBI single in the third inning. This time, he reached out for a changeup and hooked a double to left field for three more RBIs. Braun broke for third on the throw home, where the ball got away from catcher Omir Santos, and Santana, who was backing up the play, threw wide of third base. The error allowed Braun to trot home for a 5-2 Brewers lead.

After the inning, Santana was noticeably upset in the dugout following the sloppy play.

"It wasn't about frustration, it was more about letting everybody know we needed to play better baseball," Santana said. "If we don't play better baseball, we're not going to win. If we don't make routine plays, if we don't execute it the way it's supposed to be executed, if we don't pitch the right pitch, we're not going to win."

"Their guy falling down, the error, all of those things came back to haunt them," Braun said. "Johan is not going to make too many mistakes. He's not going to give up too many runs, so you have to take advantage of every mistake that they make."

Santana struck out Braun to end the sixth inning, but Braun again got the upper hand. Including three hits on Tuesday, Braun is an impressive 7-for-13 against Santana in his career.

"It's nearly impossible. I doubt there are too many guys who have had any type of prolonged success against him," Braun said. "You just go out there and battle, you compete every pitch, and that's what we did today. We were able to get some big hits."



(mlb.com)