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Marlins rookie Badenhop tops Brewers in 1st major league win

Florida Marlins' Scott Olsen pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers in the fifth inning of a baseball game in Miami, Tuesday, May 6, 2008. Florida Marlins' Scott Olsen pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers in the fifth inning of a baseball game in Miami, Tuesday, May 6, 2008. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)
Email|Print|Single Page| Text size + By Steven Wine
AP Sports Writer / May 7, 2008

MIAMI—Florida Marlins rookie Burke Badenhop pitched 5 2-3 innings Wednesday night for his first major league victory, a 6-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers, who lost their fifth game in a row.

The Brewers' longest losing streak this season sent their record below .500 for the first time. They've totaled seven hits in the first two games of the series, and they've scored eight runs in five games this year against the Marlins.

Jorge Cantu and Dan Uggla hit back-to-back homers for Florida. Hanley Ramirez singled twice, walked twice and scored twice.

Badenhop (1-2) gave up five hits and two runs. He had a season-high seven strikeouts and walked only one.

It was the second consecutive encouraging performance for a Florida rotation that has been shaky this season. Scott Olsen allowed Milwaukee just two hits in 8 2-3 scoreless innings Tuesday.

Badenhop, acquired in the December trade that sent Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera to Detroit, lowered his ERA to 6.31 in six games since being recalled from Double-A Carolina.

The right-hander took a shutout into the sixth, but failed to make it through the inning. Rickie Weeks hit a two-run homer to end Milwaukee's streak of 22 consecutive scoreless innings.

Florida center fielder Alfredo Amezaga twice robbed the Brewers. His leaping catch on the run took an extra-base hit away from Corey Hart in the second inning, and he made another long run in the seventh to catch a drive by Weeks before tumbling into the base of the wall.

The Marlins' Mike Jacobs barely missed a home run with a drive off the top of the wall for a two-run double in the third. Jacobs pulled into second base limping and came out of the game with a tight left quadriceps.

Dave Bush (0-4) gave up six runs in six innings, and his ERA rose to 6.98. Ben Sheets remains the only Milwaukee starter to win since April 5.

The NL East-leading Marlins won their third game in a row and matched their best start through 33 games (19-14), but there's plenty of room on the bandwagon. Attendance was only 10,405, and the Marlins have drawn their two smallest home crowds of the season the past two nights.

Badenhop retired the first 11 batters before Ryan Braun singled. Prince Fielder then struck out.

Milwaukee's Jason Kendall reached on an infield single to start the sixth, and Weeks followed with his fifth homer to cut Florida's lead to 3-2.

Cantu hit a two-run homer in the sixth, and Uggla hit his eighth homer six pitches later.

Notes:@ Florida's Doug Waechter pitched 1 1-3 hitless innings. Right-handed batters are 0-for-22 this season against him. ... Milwaukee leadoff batter Weeks has only 25 hits but has scored 29 runs.

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