• 
• CLASS
• JOBS
• AUTO
• HOMES

Rough night on the road for Brewers

PHILADELPHIA — As the Milwaukee Brewers sat in the visiting clubhouse at Citizens Bank Park during a prolonged rain delay in the seventh inning Tuesday night, they had time to ponder the many bad things that have happened to them here.

But does it really have to be this painful?

Picking up where they left off last season, the Brewers self-destructed in an 11-4 pummeling by the Phillies to fall to 5-16 all-time at this baseball launching pad.

The pitching staff, which showed signs of improvement in recent days, was a disaster from the very start. And other than Ryan Braun, the offense continued in its malaise, becoming easy prey for soft-tossing, 46-year-old lefty Jamie Moyer.

Making matters worse, second baseman Rickie Weeks, who already had taken a pitch to the jaw this season, was clipped on the chin by teammate J.J. Hardy during an infield collision and had to leave the game.

This is the place where the Brewers were swept in four games last September by a combined score of 26-10, the final straws that cost manager Ned Yost his job. The place where even CC Sabathia could not prevent the Brewers from falling into a 0-2 hole in their first playoff series in 26 years.

“I don’t think it has as much to do with this place as their team,” said Braun, whose career-high five-hit performance was tarnished by the lopsided defeat. “They play well here because they’re very well-rounded. They have great starting pitching, a great bullpen, swing the bats well and play good defense.

“Right now, we’re not doing any of those things well. You combine the fact that they’re good at everything and we’re good at nothing, it’s not going to be a very pretty outcome.”

Pretty outcomes are hard to come by when you continue to hand out walks like candy at Easter. With nine more walks, including yet another with the bases full, the Brewers boosted their season total to a whopping 65 in 13 games.

“This walking people can’t continue,” said manager Ken Macha, whose club dropped to 4-9. “That’s all there is to it. “

The game got off to a promising start when Braun socked the first of his two homers off Moyer with two down in the top of the first. But left-hander Manny Parra wasn’t ready to pitch, surrendering four runs in the bottom of the inning.

Six consecutive batters reached base in that inning, with Parra issuing two walks and surrendering a two-run double by Jayson Werth as well as RBI singles by Raul Ibanez and Pedro Feliz. Parra was gone after four innings, having allowed a two-out homer in the third by Feliz that made it 5-1.

“I felt fine; I just (stunk),” said Parra, who fell to 0-3 with an 8.16 earned run average in three starts. “I never gave our team a chance to win. “

During that horrible bottom of the first, Weeks and Hardy collided trying to chase down a grounder up the middle by Chase Utley. Weeks went to his knees, stunned by the shot he took by Hardy, who also went tumbling .

Weeks tried to stay in the game but experienced dizziness and was removed in the second inning.

“He said he’s fine,” Macha said after the game. “He ran into J.J.’s shoulder and hit the side of the jaw that’s been sore.”

A monstrous two-run homer by Braun in the fifth that caromed off the facing of the second deck in left pulled the Brewers back within two runs and provided some hope. But it was quickly dashed in the bottom of the inning as relievers Jorge Julio and R.J. Swindle came apart in a five-run outburst.

“The pitching has obviously been pretty bad,” said Braun. “But the offense has been pretty bad, the defense has been pretty bad. I don’t think we’ve really done anything well in the first 13 games of the season. We need to find a way to turn it around.

“Saying it’s early, no need to panic—none of those things mean anything now. We just need to come out and play better.”