Gallardo helps cause in Brewers' win over Mets

MILWAUKEE -- Once again, a bevy of major league scouts were among the 31,619 at Miller Park on Saturday evening to watch Yovani Gallardo.

The Brewers' ace has been the subject of growing trade rumors as the trade deadline approaches and Milwaukee remains entrenched near the NL Central basement.

Those scouts saw Gallardo rebound from back-to-back brutal outings in a 7-6 victory over the Mets.

After working 21 consecutive scoreless innings, Gallardo was tagged for 11 runs in seven innings over his next two starts. But he settled down Saturday, holding New York to four runs on six hits and three walks, with six strikeouts, over six innings.

All four of his earned runs came in his final two innings.

"I think he started to get a little tired," Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy said. "I think he really threw well the first four innings. His last two he scuffled a little, but for the most part it was a solid start and he gave us a chance to win. That's most important."

Gallardo had a better day at the plate, going 2-for-2 with a double and two runs scored and also reached on a sacrifice and an error in the sixth, which allowed an important insurance run to score.

For the season, Gallardo is hitting .286 with two doubles, two homers and five RBI.

"I just try to put the ball in the play," Gallardo said. "The first base hit didn't feel too good on my hands. I hit it off the end of the bat and I just got a lucky break. The slider was up. He made a mistake. It was up in the zone. I was able to put a good swing on it."

Of the Brewers' 12 hits, 11 came against New York starter Shaun Marcum, who was making his first start since undergoing an MRI on his back earlier in the week.

Though he admitted to some "numbness and tingling," Marcum said he felt fine when he took the mound against Milwaukee, where he spent the last two seasons. He allowed six runs -- five earned -- with a walk and three strikeouts.

"It can be really tough against a team that knows you so well," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "He got us through the sixth inning. We needed to get some innings out of him and he got us there without huge damage."

Marcum was able to minimize his damage, but it wasn't enough to keep him from losing for the 10th time in 14 starts this season.

"It was nice to come back here. I enjoyed my two years here," said Marcum, who went 20-11 with the Brewers. "Obviously I wish the results were better (Saturday). I fell behind in some counts and this isn't the most pitcher-friendly park to do that in, so it makes it tough."

The Brewers scored in each of the first four innings against Marcum. Norichika Aoki singled and scored on Jonathan Lucroy's hit in the first and the Brewers added two in the second when Logan Schafer, Gallardo and Aoki strung together one-out singles to give Milwaukee a 3-0 lead.

Lucroy's one-out homer in the third made it 4-0 and Gallardo, a .242 hitter this season, opened the fourth with a double off the wall in right and scored on Juan Segura's one-out single, putting the Brewers up 5-0.

John Buck put the Mets on the board in the fifth, leading off the inning with a home run off the pole in right field.

New York added two runs in the sixth to get within 5-4, and after Milwaukee took a two-run lead in the bottom of the sixth, the Mets again got within a run on Marlon Byrd's sacrifice fly in the seventh. The Brewers added an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh.

Jim Henderson and Michael Gonzalez combined to keep New York off the board in the eighth, and Francisco Rodriguez picked up his eighth save despite a two-out home run by Byrd in the ninth.

NOTES: The Mets' David Wright was named to the National League All-Star team as were Milwaukee's Carlos Gomez and Segura. Manager Terry Collins will be a coach on San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy's NL staff. ... Brewers manager Ron Roenicke announced that LHP Tom Gorzelanny will start Sunday in place of RHP Wily Peralta, who was pushed back to Tuesday in order to let his strained hamstring fully heal. ... Marcum spent the 2011-12 seasons with the Brewers, posting a 20-11 record in 54 starts. ... Milwaukee OF Ryan Braun took part in batting practice before the game as he works his way back from a hand injury that put him on the disabled list June 14.