Fielder’s grand slam lifts Brewers over Tribe, 14-12

By PAUL HOYNES

CLEVELAND — A night after Cliff Lee showed what baseball can look like at its leanest and swiftest, the Indians and Brewers showed what it can look like with clogged arteries and varicose veins.

The Indians failed to hold leads of 4-3, 8-3 and 12-7 in a 14-12 loss to the Brewers on Monday night at Progressive Field. Milwaukee’s offense was relentlessly good, while the Indians’ pitching was relentlessly bad.

The end came in the eighth inning, when Rafael Perez allowed a first-pitch grand slam to Prince Fielder to turn a 12-9 lead into a 13-12 deficit. It was the first grand slam in Fielder’s career.

Perez did not record an out in the eighth, but he did hang around long enough to give up a RBI single to Matt Gamel to make it 14-12. Manager Eric Wedge brought in Perez to get Fielder in a lefty-on-lefty matchup. That didn’t work so well.

He left him in long enough to face Gamel, a left-handed hitting rookie. That didn’t work so well either. Maybe there’s a locker next to Fausto Carmona’s in the Tribe’s Goodyear, Ariz., complex waiting for Perez.

Ryan Braun and Fielder, Milwaukee’s third and fourth hitters, drove in 11 runs. Braun, who ended the night a double short of the cycle, drove in five runs. Fielder had a career high six RBIs.

Carl Pavano, who has allowed 15 earned runs in his last two starts, allowed six in five innings. The Indians still led when he left, but relievers Greg Aquino, Luis Vizcaino, Matt Herges and Perez (1-2) gave up two runs each.

The win went to Todd Coffey (2-1), while Trevor Hoffman earned 16th save.

Shin-Soo Choo, Victor Martinez, Mark DeRosa and Travis Hafner homered for the Indians. The Indians have lost games this season in which they’ve hit five and four homers.

The Indians tried to distance themselves from Milwaukee with four runs in the fourth for a 8-3 lead. It was a good idea, but it didn’t work.

They chased starter Dave Bush following RBI singles by Jamey Carroll and DeRosa for a 6-3 lead. Luis Valbuena scored on Carroll’s single and Kelly Shoppach slid hard into catcher Mike Rivera to score on DeRosa’s single to left. Lefty Chris Narveson relieved and Martinez welcomed him with a two-run single to give him three hits and four RBI in his first three at-bats.

The Brewers came back in the fifth with three runs to make it 8-6. Braun hit a two-run triple to give him four RBI for the night. Fielder delivered Braun with a sacrifice fly. Tribe Pavano gave up a single to Corey Hart, but retired Mike Cameron and Gamel to get through the inning the lead.

He was done for the night.

The Brewers were not.

———

MilwaukeeCleveland

abrhbiabrhbi

Counsll 2b3311JCarrll 2b4211

McGeh 3b5330DeRosa lf5222

Braun lf5435VMrtnz 1b4334

Fielder 1b3126Choo rf4222

Hart rf4121JhPerlt 3b5000

MCmrn cf4000Hafner dh5133

Gamel dh5021BFrncs cf5000

Hardy ss5110Valuen ss3100

MiRivr c4110Shppch c3100

Totals38141514Totals38121112

Milwaukee201031160—14

Cleveland202404000—12

E—Braun (2), Shoppach (2). DP—Cleveland 1. LOB—Milwaukee 7, Cleveland 6. 2B—McGehee (7), Fielder (14), Hafner (7). 3B—Braun (2). HR—Braun (14), Fielder (16), DeRosa (12), V.Martinez (11), Choo (9), Hafner (6). SB—Braun (5), Gamel (1), Choo 2 (11), B.Francisco (10). SF—Counsell, Fielder, Hart.

IPHRERBBSO

Milwaukee

Bush3 1-368822

Narveson1 2-333331

DiFelice111101

Coffey W,2-11 1-300002

Stetter H,13 2-300002

Hoffman S,16-16110000

Cleveland

Pavano596612

Aquino H,1122211

Vizcaino1 1-302230

Herges012210

R.Perez L,1-2 BS,1-1032210

Jo.Smith1 2-300002

Aquino pitched to 1 batter in the 7th. Herges pitched to 2 batters in the 8th. R.Perez pitched to 4 batters in the 8th. Narveson pitched to 3 batters in the 6th. HBP—by Bush (J.Carroll, Shoppach). WP—Hoffman, Pavano, Aquino 2. PB—Mi.Rivera. Umpires—Home, James Hoye; First, C.B. Bucknor; Second, Mike Everitt; Third, Brian Gorman. T—3:56. A—25,415.