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Coffey stops ninth-inning rally

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Photo by AP Photo/Tom Mihalek

Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Todd Coffey throws in the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Wednesday in Philadelphia. The Brewers won 3-1.

PHILADELPHIA — When Todd Coffey finally surrendered a run in a Milwaukee uniform in the bottom of the ninth inning Wednesday night, you had to wonder if the Brewers were being set up for more heartbreak at Citizens Bank Park.

Coffey would have none of it, however.

“I’ll trade runs for wins every time,” said Coffey.

And that's exactly what Coffey did, stopping a ninth-inning rally with the potential winning run at the plate as the Brewers held on for a 3-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.

It was the first victory for the Brewers here since May 2007 and it was set up by the clutch pitching of starter Braden Looper and three relievers. In just three starts with the Brewers, Looper has become a stabilizing force in the rotation, going 2-0 with a 2.12 earned run average.

“He should be a nice model for everybody to follow,” said Brewers manager Ken Macha, whose team will go for its first series triumph of the season today.

Looper pitched six shutout innings despite logging no strikeouts. He issued two walks, but Macha, who has grown weary of his pitching staff's generosity, had no problem with those free passes.

Both walks were issued to Phillies cleanup hitter Ryan Howard, who entered the game with four hits, all home runs, in five career at-bats against Looper. After Howard grounded sharply into a double play in the first inning, Looper took no chances the next two times.

“I don't know if you noticed, but he has crushed me,” Looper said honestly. “If you make a mistake, he's going to hit it.”

With the wind howling to right and rain pouring down in the early going, Looper focused more than ever on keeping the ball down. Philadelphia starter Joe Blanton did likewise until J.J. Hardy broke a 0-0 tie with a one-out homer to left in the fifth.

“It was tough early, just because of the rain and wind,” said Looper. “It felt funny out there. The balls were slick. There were a lot of things going on.

“You get the ball up against those guys, you’re in trouble. I was just trying to keep the ball down. If you do that, you have a chance to succeed.”

Mike Cameron, moved up a spot by Macha in a lineup flip with Hardy, expanded the Brewers' lead to 3-0 with a two-run double in the sixth off Blanton. In a lineup overflowing with slumping hitters, Cameron has been a solid contributor, batting .326 with four doubles, four home runs and eight RBI.

“We’ve got to continue to try to find ways to be productive and give ourselves a chance,” he said.

“It was terrible out there. The wind was blowing 100 mph. It was raining. That’s Green Bay Packers weather.”

Given that three-run lead to protect, Mark DiFelice took care of the seventh and Carlos Villanueva the eighth, with neither allowing a base runner. That left it to Coffey, who had not allowed a run in 16 appearances since being claimed on waivers from Cincinnati last September.

With closer Trevor Hoffman sidelined, Macha began the season by using Coffey to set up Villanueva. But Coffey earned the right to close games by being the steadiest pitcher in the bullpen, though Macha gave him no advance notice.

“I had no idea,” said Coffey. “I wasn’t sure until I got the call in the bullpen. My job is to pitch.”

Coffey got a big first out by whiffing Howard before Jayson Werth ended his scoreless streak by lining a sinker over the center-field wall for a home run. Things got more interesting when Raul Ibañez followed with a single and pinch-hitter Matt Stairs added another hit with two down.

With runners on the corners and the remaining Philly fans making some noise, Coffey calmly struck out pinch-hitter Chris Coste on a series of sliders to record his second save.

“I’m going to challenge them,” said Coffey. “With a three-run lead, I’m going right after them. (The home run) is irrelevant. (Werth) got it. I tip my hat to him and go after the next guy.

“Winning is all that matters. If I gave up two (runs) there and we win, that’s all that matters. I can't complain about anything.”