Ryan Braun homers to help Brewers beat Marlins 9-6, ending road losing streak

Braun homers to help Brewers beat Marlins 9-6

MIAMI — Ryan Braun homered and Milwaukee scored three runs on walks to snap its five-game road losing streak with a 9-6 win Wednesday night over the Florida Marlins.

The Brewers scored six runs in the fifth inning, three on bases-loaded walks after Hayden Penn relieved rookie Sean West (0-3) with runners on first and second.

Seth McClung (3-1) pitched 3 1-3 innings of relief, allowing only an eighth-inning homer by Dan Uggla. Trevor Hoffman pitched a perfect ninth for his 14th save in 14 chances this season.

Milwaukee was up 3-1 going into the fifth. An error by shortstop Hanley Ramirez on a grounder by Braun and Prince Fielder’s one-out single put runners on first and second and chased West. A grounder by J.J. Hardy forced Braun at home for the second out and it seemed Penn might get out of the jam.

But Penn then walked three consecutive batters with the bases loaded, including starter Braden Looper.

He was relieved by Brian Sanches after getting to a 2-1 count on Corey Hart.

Hart reached on third baseman Emilio Bonifacio’s throwing error, which also scored the fourth run of the inning before Casey McGehee doubled home two runs for a 9-1 lead.

Florida got four runs back in the bottom half on a throwing error by Looper, a double play, and singles by Bonifacio and Jorge Cantu. McClung came on and struck out Uggla with the bases loaded to end the inning.

Braun hit a two-run homer in the third for a 3-0 lead. The Marlins made it 3-1 on Cantu’s solo home run in the fourth, the first hit of the game off Looper, who allowed five runs in 4 2-3 innings.