MIAMI (AP) – Ben Sheets struck out 10 in his first win in six starts, and the Milwaukee Brewers scored the go-ahead run in the ninth inning on catcher Paul Lo Duca’s error on a play at the plate in a 3-2 victory over the Florida Marlins on Monday night.

With the scored 2-all, Milwaukee’s Chad Moeller led off the ninth with an infield single off Todd Jones (1-3) that shortstop Alex Gonzalez couldn’t reach. Pinch-runner Trent Durrington stole second and advanced to third on Sheets’ sacrifice. Brady Clark hit a grounder to Gonzalez, who threw home with plenty of time to get Moeller. But Lo Duca couldn’t hold the ball when he applied the tag and the Brewers went ahead 3-2.

Sheets (4-6) gave up a leadoff single to Juan Pierre before being removed for closer Derrick Turnbow.

Luis Castillo then bunted safely to put runners on first and second. Pierre advanced to third on Miguel Cabrera’s fly to right and the crowd of 24,207 roared as Carlos Delgado stepped up to the plate.

Delgado grounded to first baseman Lyle Overbay, who threw home to Moeller who applied the tag on the ensuing rundown.

Juan Encarnacion followed with a sharply hit grounder, but second baseman Bill Hall made a diving stop and his throw to first just beat Encarnacion’s headfirst dive for the final out.

Sheets allowed four hits and two runs in eight-plus innings for his first win since June 18 at Toronto, ending a string of five straight no-decisions.

Turnbow got his 16th save in 18 opportunities.

Chris Magruder hit a two-out single off Marlins rookie Scott Olsen in the sixth. Magruder stole second and scored to tie it at 2 on J.J. Hardy’s RBI single.

Carlos Lee increased his major league lead with his 73rd RBI in the first to give the Brewers an early lead. Rickie Weeks drew a one-out walk and, one our later, scored on Lee’s double to the left-field corner.

Delgado hit his team-leading 16th homer with two outs in the fourth, a two-run shot which put the Marlins ahead 2-1.

Olsen held Milwaukee to two hits over the next four innings before giving up three straight two-out hits in the sixth, including Hardy’s tying RBI single.

The rookie left-hander struck out eight in his second major league start, allowing six hits and two runs in 5 2-3 innings. Olsen, who struck out seven while winning his major league debut in Tampa Bay on June 25, has 15 strikeouts in 11 1-3 innings as a starter.

Notes: Lee tied Jeromy Burnitz for the second-most RBIs by a Brewers hitter prior to the All-Star break. Burnitz also had 73 RBIs before the break in 1999 and Greg Vaughn set the team mark with 75 RBIs in 1996. … Magruder started in place of Geoff Jenkins, who was removed from manager Ned Yost’s original lineup to rest a bruised shin. … Olsen, who threw 68 of 108 pitches for strikes, was nearly hit by Gonzalez’s foul ball as he stood in the on-deck circle before his first at-bat in the third.

AP-ES-07-04-05 2110EDT


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