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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- It was a night of firsts for Ben Sheets.
|  | | Rookie Ben Sheets topped off a night in which he had his first complete game, shutout, hit and RBI with a strikeout of Mark McGwire in the ninth. |
The Milwaukee Brewers' rookie right-hander got his first
complete game, his first shutout, his first hit and his first RBI
in a 7-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals Tuesday night.
"It ended up being a pretty good night," Sheets said after he
helped the Brewers snap a four-game winning streak.
For a bonus, he struck out Mark McGwire in a pinch-hit
appearance in the ninth inning.
"Nobody looks forward to seeing that big guy when he steps in
there," Sheets said. "You just take the moment for what it is.
That's a thrill in itself."
Sheets (5-4), whose last shutout came in the Olympic gold-medal
game against Cuba, allowed five singles and only two
runners to reach second base in his first career complete game. He
walked one and struck out three against the Cardinals, who got five
runs in 4 2/3 innings against him last Thursday.
"He came out throwing hard right from the beginning," manager
Davey Lopes said. "He had total command of his pitches."
Sheets, 22, a first-round pick of the Brewers in the 1999 draft,
added an RBI single in the eighth. He had been 0-for-15 with eight
strikeouts.
Henry Blanco, who had been batting .167 and in a 1-for-23 slump,
hit a three-run double in the fourth off Mike Matthews (2-1) to
double his RBI total for the season.
"We're struggling right now, so everything I can do to help win
the game, you've got to take it," Blanco said. "I think that was
the big hit tonight."
Mark Loretta had three hits and an RBI and Jeromy Burnitz had an
RBI single for Milwaukee, which scored just three runs the previous
three games.
The Brewers batted .153 and struck out 40 times during the
losing streak. They struck out 13 times Tuesday, but had 12 hits to
end a six-game road losing streak and stop the Cardinals' nine-game
home winning streak.
"We hit a lot of balls hard and deserved to get more than
zero," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "We should have had
something to show for it."
The Cardinals, who are 16-8 at Busch Stadium, lost at home for
the first time since a 6-5, 11-inning setback to the Mets on April
28. St. Louis fell out of a first-place tie in the NL Central with
the Cubs, who beat Cincinnati 10-5.
Matthews, who replaced wild left-hander Rick Ankiel in the
rotation, lost for the first time in three starts. He had a
career-best seven strikeouts but lasted only five innings, giving
up four runs and eight hits.
"I'm sure if I had to face Blanco in that situation again, I
would defintely make a better pitch," Matthews said. "After I
gave up the four runs I just wanted to keep it there because with
our offense we're never out of a game."
Game notes
Left-handed hitters had been 0-for-31 against Matthews this
season before Geoff Jenkins and Burnitz combined to go 3-for-6 ...
McGwire, who came off the DL with a homer Monday, is expected to
start Wednesday. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the Cardinals' plan for McGwire calls for him to start every other day through at least June 7 as he slowly returns from a right-knee injury. ... Loretta was 3-for-5 and is 11-for-27 (.407)
during a seven-game hitting streak. ... Richie Sexson tied a major
league record by striking out five times in a nine-inning game and
leads the majors with 61 in 177 at-bats. The last player to do it
was Scott Rolen of the Phillies on Aug. 23, 1999. ... Jim Edmonds
is in a 6-for-45 slump since May 13 with four RBI in 14 games. ...
The Brewers are 8-15 on the road.
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OTHER GAMES
Baseball Scoreboard
Milwaukee Clubhouse
St. Louis Clubhouse
RECAPS
Cleveland 6
Detroit 4
Toronto 4
Chi. White Sox 0
Texas 8
Kansas City 2
Minnesota 6
Anaheim 5
Tampa Bay 5
Oakland 1
Seattle 3
Baltimore 2
Chicago Cubs 10
Cincinnati 5
Florida 5
Pittsburgh 0
Philadelphia 7
NY Mets 3
Atlanta 7
Montreal 4
Milwaukee 7
St. Louis 0
San Diego 5
Houston 4
Colorado 7
Los Angeles 2
Arizona 1
San Francisco 0
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