Brewers use nine walks to snap losing skid, top Padres

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- The Milwaukee Brewers found a simple way to

snap their season-long eight-game losing streak. Walk around it.

Carlos Lee hit his 19th home run, Chris Capuano pitched his way

in and out of trouble for six innings and the Brewers used nine

Padres walks in a 5-2 victory over San Diego on Monday night.

"It was a grind for me and all of us," Capuano said. "It's

extra rewarding when you win those games, when you go out there and

you don't have your best stuff."

Capuano (6-4) wasn't particularly sharp, allowing six hits and

four walks but he excelled compared to Padres starter Clay Hensley

(4-4), who issued walks to four of his first eight batters and

finished with a career-high seven.

"In those situations, you try to let him dig as big a hole as

you can let him," Brewers manager Ned Yost said. "We've been on

the other end of it enough the last week."

Milwaukee's Gabe Gross, starting in right field for Geoff

Jenkins, hit his second home run in as many days in the eighth.

Jenkins sat out with a concussion, a day after colliding with burly

first baseman Prince Fielder.

Gross had been mired in a 6-for-45 slump and said he's spent

extra time hitting after games during the losing skid to tweak his

swing.

"The biggest thing is when you get to struggling, just get back

to basics," Gross said.

Yost praised his seldom-used outfielder, whom the Brewers

acquired from Toronto in the offseason as part of the Lyle Overbay

deal.

"To his credit, it's hard doing what he's doing -- trying to

play one at-bat a night or four at-bats or five at-bats a week,"

Yost said. "It's tough to be sharp in those situations."

Derrick Turnbow recorded his 16th save in 20 opportunities with

a perfect ninth and a fastball that reached 99 mph. He had blown

four of his last seven chances.

The Brewers took advantage of Hensley in the second inning with

three runs, sparked by Fielder's first career triple, a ball that

caromed off the wall and left fielder Eric Young.

After a walk to Damian Miller, Gross' infield single scored

Fielder to tie it at 1.

Hensley then walked Brady Clark to load the bases and Capuano

added an infield hit to bring home Miller.

"I didn't exactly sting it, but I'll take it," Capuano said of

his fifth hit and second RBI of the season.

Rickie Weeks grounded into a double play and a run scored to

make it 3-1.

"The second inning was an ugly inning. That was the difference

in the game," Padres manager Bruce Bochy said. "You are asking

for trouble if you give them extra outs."

Lee's solo homer in the third put Milwaukee up 4-1 and came

immediately after Padres center fielder Mike Cameron robbed Corey

Koskie of a home run when he made a leaping catch at the wall in

the deepest part of the park.

But Hensley, who struck out only two in his shortest outing of

his career, was finally pulled with two outs after laboring in the

fourth by giving up a single and two walks to load the bases.

Reliever Brian Sweeney avoided damage by getting Koskie to line

out.

"It's pretty embarrassing," Hensley said of throwing more

balls (48) than strikes (39). "I couldn't find the strike zone. My

arm felt great. I just couldn't find the location."

Meanwhile, Capuano did just enough to get by after giving up an

RBI single to Mike Piazza in the first, and the Padres had the

tying run at the plate or onboard in the fifth, sixth, seventh and

eighth innings.

The biggest threats were in the fifth, when Capuano allowed

three singles to load the bases and Mike Cameron's sacrifice fly

cut Milwaukee's lead to 4-2, and the sixth, when Capuano ended his

night by striking out Josh Barfield with men on second and third

with two outs. Capuano finished with six strikeouts.

"It just seemed like they were bound for a break," Padres

right fielder Brian Giles said.Game notes
Milwaukee's Jeff Cirillo made his first career start at

shortstop in place of Bill Hall. ... Brewers pitcher Rick Helling

struck out seven in 5 2-3 innings in an extended spring training

start in Arizona. Helling will return to Milwaukee to be evaluated,

then make at least two rehab starts. ... Padres ace Jake Peavy will

start on Tuesday. Peavy skipped his scheduled start Saturday in

Pittsburgh because of right shoulder tendinitis. ... Padres 1B

Adrian Gonzalez extended his hitting streak to 13 games.