Bush, Brewers complete doubleheader sweep of Mets with 3-1 win saved by Trevor Hoffman

Bush, Brewers complete sweep of Mets 3-1

NEW YORK — Dave Bush pitched three-hit ball into the seventh inning and helped his own cause with an RBI single, Ryan Braun hit a two-run double and the Milwaukee Brewers held on for a 3-1 victory over the New York Mets to complete a doubleheader sweep Wednesday night.

Prince Fielder’s RBI single and Carlos Gomez’s hustle in the eighth inning of the first game rallied the Brewers for an 8-7 win after they squandered a six-run lead.

Trevor Hoffman pitched the ninth inning of the second game for his first save since notching No. 600 on Sept. 7. The all-time saves leader was perfect for 601, his 10th of the season in 15 chances.

After New York tied a franchise record by using eight pitchers in a nine-inning game in the opener of the twi-night doubleheader, knuckleballer R.A. Dickey (11-9) gave up six hits in seven baffling innings. The Mets used 12 pitchers in all, with three making an appearance in both games.

New York (77-81) must win its final four games to avoid a second straight losing season. The Mets have one more game against Milwaukee and finish up with three at Citi Field against the last-place Washington Nationals.

Gomez had very diffferent experiences on the basepaths in the two games. In the opener he helped tie it by walking, stealing and advancing to third on rookie catcher Mike Nickeas’ errant throw. He scored on Corey hart’s tapper off Manny Acosta (3-2) between the mound and third base to tie it at 7 with two outs in the eighth.

Reckless in the nightcap, Gomez had three hits but was thrown out twice on the bases. First he was caught at the back end of a symetrical 5-3-3-5 double play when he tried to sneak to third on a groundout by Braun. He singled leading off the sixth, but was caught in a rundown trying to steal.

The Brewers scored their first run in the second game when Alicedes Escobar tripled leading off the third and scored an out later on Bush’s single to right. Braun had a two-run double off Sean Green after Pedro Feliciano gave up a hit and hit a batter to start the eighth.

Feliciano gave up the tying run in the opener and two runs in the finale. His two appearances gave him 91 for the season. The last pitcher to appear in more than 90 games was Salmon Torres in 2006 with the Pirates.

Bush (8-14) allowed a single to Angel Pagan with one out in the first then didn’t give up another hit until Dickey singled with two outs in the fifth. Jose Reyes, who had a triple and two doubles in the opener, followed with a hit but Pagan grounded out to end the threat.

Bush was pulled after allowing a leadoff walk in the seventh.

Just several hundred fans were in the stands at Citi Field for the high-scoring early innings of the opener of the doubleheader made necessary by a rainout Monday. The teams combined for 20 hits and 13 runs in the first four innings.

The Brewers scored six times in the third. Rickie Weeks and Hart hit consecutive doubles for the first run. Then with two outs, Milwaukee put together five straight hits for five more runs. Fielder, Jonathan Lucroy and Luis Cruz had RBIs, and Lorenzo Cain drove in two runs. Cruz’s hit knocked out Jonathon Niese in his shortest outing since May 16, when he went two innings against Florida.

Carlos Villanueva (2-0) pitched an inning for the win and Brewers closer John Axford, who gave up the winning hit Tuesday, pitched the ninth for his 23rd save. Four Brewers pitched 5 2-3 scoreless innings in relief of Yovani Gallardo.

David Wright reached 100 RBIs for the fifth time in seven years, hitting a go-ahead two-run homer in a five-run fourth inning for New York in the early game. Reyes hit an RBI triple, his 10th three-base hit, and scored when second baseman Weeks’ relay to third skipped past Casey McGehee for an error. Lucas Duda followed with a homer to right.

NOTES: Mets 1B Ike Davis had a sacrifice fly in the eighth in the second game. … Pagan was back in the Mets lineup after his daughter had eye surgery Wednesday morning. … The Brewers were playing their first doubleheader since being swept by Philadelphia on Sept 14, 2008. … The Mets swept the Dodgers in April and split two with the Padres in June, both at home.