Rickie Weeks

Rickie Weeks started the go-ahead rally in the opener, then provided most of the offense in the second game. Weeks scored on Prince Fielder's 13th-inning single as Milwaukee beat host Florida, 3-2, in the completion of a suspended game. He then homered, tripled and scored three runs in a 5-2 victory in last night's scheduled game. Milwaukee had lost nine in a row to the Marlins before winning two straight. Tuesday's game was suspended with the score 2-2 after 10 innings and three rain delays that totaled 1 hour, 42 minutes.

MILWAUKEE - Zack Grienke capped a perfect season at home to help the Milwaukee Brewers clinch home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs with a 7-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night. Carlos Gomez, Corey Hart, and Jonathan Lucroy homered for the Brewers, who set a franchise record with 96 wins and open an NL division series at Miller Park beginning Saturday. If the NL Central champions had tied with NL West winner Arizona in the standings, the Brewers would have started the playoffs on the road.

Chris Young rose from a 16th-round draft pick as a teenager in 2001 to a dynamic player who received a $28 million, 5-year contract extension after just one full season in the majors. The Arizona Diamondbacks announced the deal with the 24-year-old centerfielder before last night's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Young, who is earning $406,000 this year, will receive a $1 million signing bonus. He gets salaries of $1.75 million in 2009, $3.25 million in 2010, $5 million in 2011, $7 million in 2012 and $8.5 million in 2013.

7:05, Citizens Bank Park. TV: Comcast Network. Radio: WPHT (1210-AM); WUBA (1480-AM) Spanish. Pitching matchup: Phillies' Joe Blanton (0-1, 9.00 ERA) vs. Brewers' Braden Looper (1-0, 3.27 ERA) Ticket info: Approximately 33,000 tickets have been sold for tonight's game, meaning there are over 10,000 seats still available. Brewers update: Second baseman Rickie Weeks, who stumbled trying to field Chase Utley's grounder in the bottom of the first last night, was replaced in the field by Casey McGehee in the bottom of the second.

ST. LOUIS - The bumbling Brewers made four errors that led to three unearned runs as the St. Louis Cardinals survived a short start by Jaime Garcia to beat Milwaukee, 7-1, Friday night and take a three-games-to-two lead in the National League Championship Series. Yadier Molina and Matt Holliday had three hits each for St. Louis, which burst to a 3-0 lead in the second when Molina doubled in a run and third baseman Jerry Hairston Jr. allowed Garcia's grounder to go through his legs.

First Inning Brewers: Rickie Weeks grounded out to third. Corey Hart singled to left. Hart was picked off first, catcher to first. Ryan Braun struck out swinging. Phillies: Jimmy Rollins grounded out to first. Shane Victorino singled to center. Chase Utley singled to right, Victorino to second. Ryan Howard grounded into a double play, second to shortstop to first, Utley out at second. Second Inning Brewers: Prince Fielder reached on an infield single to the catcher.

The Pirates' best hitter on the road gets even better when he's down to his final swing. Ryan Doumit hit a solo homer with two outs in the top of the ninth inning last night - his second game-deciding homer in 3 days - and visiting Pittsburgh held on for a 2-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds, who couldn't stop the Pirates' Mr. Clutch. "You knew somebody was going to score sooner or later," Reds manager Dusty Baker said. "We didn't know they were going to score like that. " Brandon Phillips tied it 1-all in the eighth with his 100th career homer off reliever Joel Hanrahan (1-0)

Mike Lieberthal could be following Randy Wolf home to Southern California, the Los Angeles Times reported. Sources told the Times that Lieberthal wants to sign with the Dodgers and would be happy to serve as the backup to Russell Martin. He is believed to be seeking a 1-year deal for about $1 million with an option year. The Phillies are not expected to offer Lieberthal arbitration by tomorrow's deadline, making him a free agent. Lieberthal, who has spent his entire career with the Phillies organization, missed 55 games last season with a variety of injuries.

A cheerful Barry Bonds looked upbeat and relaxed yesterday as he prepared to come off the disabled list and play for the first time this year. Bonds will start in leftfield and bat cleanup tonight when he makes his long-awaited return to the San Francisco Giants' lineup as they open a three-game series against the NL West-leading San Diego Padres at SBC Park. Bonds took batting practice and shagged flies in the outfield yesterday. He joked around with Cubs star Nomar Garciaparra and former teammate Jerome Williams, traded to Chicago earlier this season.

NYJER MORGAN scored on a fly ball by Ryan Braun in the 10th inning to give the Brewers a 3-2 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday night, the second late-inning thriller in a row for Milwaukee. With the bases loaded and one out, Braun lofted a shallow fly ball to centerfield. Morgan took off for home despite a stop sign from third-base coach Ed Sedar and was called safe on a close play at the plate - although replays showed that he may have been tagged out before reaching the plate.

ST. LOUIS - The bumbling Brewers made four errors that led to three unearned runs as the St. Louis Cardinals survived a short start by Jaime Garcia to beat Milwaukee, 7-1, Friday night and take a three-games-to-two lead in the National League Championship Series. Yadier Molina and Matt Holliday had three hits each for St. Louis, which burst to a 3-0 lead in the second when Molina doubled in a run and third baseman Jerry Hairston Jr. allowed Garcia's grounder to go through his legs.

MILWAUKEE - Brewers pitcher Yovani Gallardo readily calls this start the biggest of his career. Diamondbacks ace Ian Kennedy hoped for any chance to pitch again this season. "It's definitely a whole different atmosphere," Gallardo said. "Anything can happen. " The Arizona Diamondbacks look to complete their biggest rally of the season after being down, two games to none, on Friday when they face the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 5 with a berth in the NL Championship Series at stake.

MILWAUKEE - Zack Grienke capped a perfect season at home to help the Milwaukee Brewers clinch home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs with a 7-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night. Carlos Gomez, Corey Hart, and Jonathan Lucroy homered for the Brewers, who set a franchise record with 96 wins and open an NL division series at Miller Park beginning Saturday. If the NL Central champions had tied with NL West winner Arizona in the standings, the Brewers would have started the playoffs on the road.

MILWAUKEE - It was a scene that had not happened since the second month of the season: Vance Worley, surrounded by reporters, talking about a loss. The Phillies entered yesterday having won 14 straight games started by the rookie righthander. A 3-2 loss to the Brewers prevented Worley from tying the franchise record set by Steve Carlton in 1972. "I guess he was just that much better than me," Worley said with a rueful grin. Worley, of course, has a long way to go before he matches the overall accomplishments of a Hall of Fame lefty like Carlton.

MILWAUKEE - The last time the Milwaukee Brewers presented a potential roadblock to the Phillies' World Series title hopes, they offered little resistance. That, of course, was the magical 2008 season, which ended when Brad Lidge struck out Tampa Bay's Eric Hinske before going to his knees and looking to the sky as a championship-starved city exploded in celebration. Here we are, three years later, and the Brewers again could serve as an obstacle in the Phillies' World Series pursuit.

8:10 p.m., Miller Park, Milwaukee. TV: Comcast SportsNet. Radio: WPHT (1210-AM), WUBA (1480) Spanish. Pitching matchup: LHP Cole Hamels (13-7, 2.63) vs. LHP Chris Narveson (10-6, 4.26) BREWERS vs. HAMELS: In four career appearances at Miller Park, Hamels is 1-1 with a 5.00 ERA. That's his second highest ERA of any road park in which he's made more than two starts (5.05 in six games at New York's Citi Field) . . . In his last 19 starts, he's allowed two or fewer runs 15 times and given up more than three just once . . . Ryan Braun 4-for-17 (.235-2-3)

Zack Greinke won his fifth straight start and Jerry Hairston singled in two runs to lift the surging Milwaukee Brewers to a 3-1 victory over the visiting Dodgers last night for their 19th victory in 21 games. The NL Central-leading Brewers remained seven games ahead of St. Louis. The hottest team in baseball has gotten contributions on offense from unlikely candidates all season, including Hairston, the utilityman acquired at the nonwaiver trade deadline when second baseman Rickie Weeks severely sprained his left ankle.

D AVID ROSS hit a bases-loaded single in the 10th inning and the Atlanta Braves beat the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates, 2-1, last night for their second straight victory in extra innings. Atlanta and Pittsburgh played 19 innings Tuesday night before Julio Lugo scored the winning run on a controversial call at the plate that umpire Jerry Meals later acknowledged was incorrect. Ross became Atlanta's starting catcher yesterday when the Braves placed Brian McCann on the 15-day disabled list with a left oblique injury.

NEW YORK - CC Sabathia got caught a little bit by surprise Thursday afternoon. He was out on the field at Yankee Stadium when it hit him: He was about to face his friends. And that was a big deal. "Rickie and Prince and Braunie," Sabathia said, naming just three of his former teammates from his brief time with the Brewers in 2008. "I didn't expect to be nervous but I was. " Once the game started, though, Sabathia was his usual dominant self. He tied a career high by striking out 13 and pitched the Yankees to a 5-0 win over Milwaukee.