Fielder homers as Brewers beat Marlins 5-3

MILWAUKEE (AP)—Dave Bush(notes) doesn’t light up radar guns or strike fear into the hearts of opposing batters.

The Milwaukee Brewers right-hander just knows how to pitch—something that’s been especially apparent in the month of May.

Bush turned in his third straight seven-inning outing, Prince Fielder(notes) hit the go-ahead home run and the Brewers completed a three-game sweep of the Florida Marlins with a 5-3 victory Thursday.

“It’s not a lot of bling for him,” Brewers manager Ken Macha said of Bush. “He just goes out there, and it’s workmanlike.”

Bush (2-0) struck out seven while giving up six hits and three runs, only two of which were earned. He was followed by Mark DiFelice(notes) and Trevor Hoffman(notes), neither of whom allowed a baserunner for a rapidly improving Brewers bullpen.

Hoffman earned his eighth save and has yet to give up a run in nine innings this season.

“It’s always fun to hear the bell,” Fielder said—a reference to Hoffman’s theme song, AC/DC’s “Hells Bells.”

The Brewers have won nine of 11 and begin a nine-game road trip at St. Louis on Friday night.

It was a short afternoon for Florida starter Josh Johnson(notes), who walked five in only four innings. Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez said he took Johnson out of the game because he felt “something” in his shoulder, but Johnson should be able to make his next start.

“We just didn’t want to take any chances with him,” Gonzalez said.

Meanwhile, the Marlins have lost four straight and their 11-1 start to the season suddenly seems like a long time ago.

“We’re not really pretty to watch right now,” Gonzalez said. “But we’re a good club.”

Ross Gload(notes) said the Marlins expect to regroup soon.

“We had a great run early on,” Gload said. “But once we get it all together, I think things will be right back where they should be.”

Gload tied it at 3 with a solo homer to lead off the fifth—and this time, he didn’t flirt with the foul pole. He had a home run taken away after an instant replay review Wednesday night, with umpires reversing the original call and ruling the ball foul. Gload eventually struck out in that at-bat.

In the bottom half of the inning, Fielder clubbed a 2-2 pitch from reliever Burke Badenhop(notes) (2-2) just over the wall in left-center field.

“I don’t care where they go, as long as they go over,” Fielder said.

It was Fielder’s eighth homer of the season and his third in the last three games after hitting a pair Tuesday night against Florida.

J.J. Hardy(notes) added an RBI single with two outs in the sixth for a 5-3 lead. Hardy also made a heads-up play in the field, cutting down a runner at home plate in the fifth.

“That was a big play—very big play,” Bush said.

And Bush agreed with Macha’s bling-free assessment of his pitching style.

“I’m definitely not a flashy guy,” Bush said. “I just go out there and try to pitch. There isn’t anything spectacular I do out there. I kind of stay within myself.”

The Marlins took a 1-0 lead when Dan Uggla(notes) scored on a wild pitch by Bush in the second. Bill Hall’s(notes) two-run homer in the bottom half of the inning—the 100th of his career—gave Milwaukee a 2-1 lead.

The Brewers then took a 3-1 lead in the third thanks to some sloppy fielding by the Marlins.

After Johnson issued back-to-back walks to Rickie Weeks(notes) and J.J. Hardy, Ryan Braun hit a grounder to third. Emilio Bonifacio(notes) fielded the ball and stepped on third for a force out, but threw wildly to first and Hardy came all the way around to score.

Hanley Ramirez(notes) doubled and scored on an error by Weeks at second base in the fourth, cutting the Brewers’ lead to 3-2.

Notes

Brewers backup C Mike Rivera(notes) returned from his stint on the disabled list with a sprained left ankle and C Carlos Corporan(notes) was optioned to Triple-A Nashville. … Ramirez has an 11-game hitting streak. … 3B Mat Gamel(notes), a highly regarded Brewers prospect, struck out as a pinch-hitter in the eighth.