Milwaukee, WI – Eric Hinske clubbed a two-run homer in the top of the 11th inning and Heath Bell was just good enough to lock down the save, as the Arizona Diamondbacks took an 8-7 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday at Miller Park.
Hinske pinch hit after Cliff Pennington led the 11th off with a double. He then crushed a breaking pitch from John Axford (0-1) well past the centerfield wall to put the Diamondbacks on top by two.
"That was nice, we wanted to bring him in because of his experience," said Arizona manager Kirk Gibson. "It was big for us."
Bell came on and surrendered three hits, with Jonathan Lucroy's run scoring single putting runners on the corners. However, Bell fanned Rickie Weeks and pinch-hit pitcher Kyle Lohse to end the game. The Brewers were just 5-for-17 with runners in scoring position for the game.
Tony Sipp (1-0) spun a perfect 10th inning to pick up the win. Paul Goldschmidt went 3-for-5 with a run scored and two RBI, and Aaron Hill had a two-run homer among his three hits for the Diamondbacks, who finished off their first-ever three game sweep of the Brewers.
Milwaukee, losers of five straight, rallied with a two-run ninth inning off Arizona closer J.J. Putz to send the game to extras. Norichika Aoki went 4- for-6 with three RBI in the setback.
Arizona's Ian Kennedy took the hill against Milwaukee's Yovani Gallardo, with neither factoring into the decision. Kennedy pitched into the seventh and gave up seven hits on four runs. Gallardo tossed six frames, giving up four runs on nine hits.
"Things aren't going our way," said Gallardo. "We battled with each at bat up to the last pitch."
Hill's home run in the seventh put Arizona ahead, 6-3, but Milwaukee got a run back in the bottom half of the frame before tying it up in the ninth.
Pinch-hitter Josh Prince led off with a ground-rule double and came around to score on Aoki's base hit into right field. Aoki then stole second and Lucroy drove him home on a grounder through the right side to get Milwaukee to extra innings.
The Diamondbacks failed to score with the bases full and no one out in the second, but loaded the bases again in the third and received a two-out, two- run single from Goldschmidt to take a 2-0 lead.
The Brewers drew even in the bottom half of the frame on Aoki's two-run double and a solo homer from Alex Gonzalez in the following inning put Milwaukee in front, 3-2.
Arizona, though, responded by plating a pair of runs in each of the sixth and seventh innings to go ahead, 6-3.
Jason Kubel's double into the left field corner in the sixth tied the contest, and two batters later, Pennington drove in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly. Hill's homer in the next inning then created a three-run cushion.
The Brewers came away with nothing after loading the bases with no one out in the sixth, but with bases full again in the seventh, Carlos Gomez pushed a run across on a ground ball force out at second base.
Game Notes
Hinske's homer was his eighth career pinch-hit home run ... Milwaukee's shortstop Jean Segura left in the fourth inning after appearing to injure his leg on a takeout slide by Arizona's Gerardo Parra in third ... Lucroy went 2- for-3 with two RBI ... The Diamondbacks will return home on Monday for a three-game series with Pittsburgh ... The Brewers will look to end their skid on Monday in Chicago when they begin a three-game series with the Cubs.
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