Carlos Villanueva will make his third career start for Milwaukee, and Cincinnati's Elizardo Ramirez will make his 13th start of the year -- and the 17th in his career. They faced each other June 14, and neither received a decision in the Reds' 3-0, 11-inning victory.

The Brewers won the first two games of the series and could reach .500 if they finish the sweep against the Reds. The team, though, wants to stop concentrating on getting past the .500 mark and instead try to win as many series as possible.

"We're done looking at that," pitcher Doug Davis said. "We'll take it game by game. We're at .500 then we end up losing two or three and have to get back to .500 again.

"We just have to get going and win every series. If we do that, we'll get over that hump of .500 and have a winning season."

Two Brewers are available again after a one-game absence. Catcher Damian Miller was a late scratch Tuesday due to dizziness, but he said he felt fine after the game.

Closer Derrick Turnbow worked on his mechanics with pitching coach Mike Maddux on Tuesday. Manager Ned Yost said significant progress was made and Turnbow would be available to pitch Wednesday.

Even though Wednesday is the last game of the series, the teams still play each other six more times this month, with a series in Cincinnati July 21-23 and a series in Milwaukee July 28-30.

Pitching matchup
CIN: RHP Elizardo Ramirez (3-6, 4.11 ERA)
Ramirez pitched eight shutout innings against the Brewers on June 14.

MIL: RHP Carlos Villanueva (0-1, 4.50 ERA)
Villanueva will try to rebound from his first poor outing with the Brewers. On Friday, he allowed the Twins to score six runs in five innings and was charged with his first career loss.

Player to watch
Reds first baseman Scott Hatteberg has hit safely in eight of nine games, including a home run and a single on Tuesday.

Let's do it....

I was at this game behind home plate.

MILWAUKEE -- Doug Davis had little problem snuffing out the high-scoring Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday.

Davis pitched 8 2/3 innings of six-hit ball, lifting the Milwaukee Brewers to a 5-2 victory over Reds. The start was one of the left-hander's strongest performances this season, and it left him in the mood to put on a fireworks display for his family Tuesday night.

Of course, he was going to be safe about it, and protect his pitching hand.

"I'm going to go out and light some fireworks with my right hand, watch the fireworks and relax," Davis said.

The Reds are the third-highest scoring team in the National League, but they didn't get a runner past first base until the seventh inning. Davis walked three and struck out five.

He was one out shy of pitching his first complete game since shutting out Minnesota, 6-0, on May 21, 2005.

"I had a good, live fastball today and I probably threw it more than I have any other time this year," he said.

Davis has had trouble finding the strike zone, the Reds' free swings limited the walks.

"I went right after them," Davis said. "After pretty much the third or fourth inning, they were swinging right off the bat. They are an aggressive team. I let my defense do the work and pitched to contact."

The Brewers managed only five hits, but they bunched four hits and a walk in the fourth to beat Bronson Arroyo (9-5) for the second time in three weeks.

"We were able to get some pitches in the strike zone," said Corey Koskie, who capped the scoring with his 12th home run. "We were able to get him in one inning, but for the rest of the game he shut us down."

Davis (5-5) did not allow a runner past first base until Austin Kearns doubled with two outs in the seventh. Scott Hatteberg followed with a two-run home run.

Davis retired the first two batters in the ninth but then allowed a single by Rich Aurilia and a walk by Kearns. With Hatteberg due up, manager Ned Yost summoned Brian Shouse.

"Hatteberg hit a home run the last time he was up, so I don't blame him for pulling me," Davis said. "He did the right thing. I wanted to finish the game, and I had a chance to. He gave me a chance, and I blew it. What can you do?"

Yost said it was an easy decision.

"He was at about 115 pitches, Hatteberg already had hit a homer and a single off him," Yost said of Davis, who threw 113 pitches. "We knew that Hatteberg [had struggled] off Shouse and they'd probably go to [Ryan] Freel, but you know, coming off the bench, I thought we'd take a shot at that. Doug had done a great job at that point."

The Reds did pinch-hit Freel, and he flied out to give Shouse his second save in three chances.

It was Davis' first start in 10 days. He missed his last start due to back spasms.

"I probably could have pitched my last start," Davis said. "The problem was I didn't want to go out there and aggravate it again."

The victory brought the Brewers within a game of .500 at 42-43. The team has reached .500 or come close many times in recent weeks, but hasn't been able to get past it.

"We can't be focused on getting over .500," Koskie said. "The big thing is trying to win each series. If you focus on winning each series, the standings and wins and loss columns will take care of themselves."

Rickie Weeks led off the fourth with a walk and moved to second on Bill Hall's bunt single. Geoff Jenkins doubled to score Weeks, and Carlos Lee singled to score Hall, making it 2-0.

Prince Fielder followed with a sacrifice fly to give Milwaukee a 3-0 lead and Koskie hit a 2-2 pitch into the Reds' right-field bullpen to cap the scoring.

"It was a nice inning," Yost said. "We put together a nice little sequence of offense."

Please win today Brew Crew.

Geoff Jenkins' recent power outage is the worst he's experienced.

Jenkins, who enters Sunday with seven home runs on the season, has gone a career-high 127 at-bats without a homer. He hasn't circled the bases since he blasted a two-run shot on May 20 against Minnesota. Jenkins' previous high drought was 80 at-bats late in the 2003 season.

In each of the last three seasons, Jenkins has hit at least 25 home runs. Still, Brewers manager Ned Yost said he's not concerned about Jenkins, who ranks fourth on the club's all-time home run list with 181 long balls.

"The three-spot's not a time to be a power spot, the four-spot is and the five-spot," Yost said. "Jenks is a guy who has always been a streaky hitter. He's a guy who can get up there and hit six or seven home runs in the span of a week. When he gets hot, he has the opportunity to carry a team."

The Brewers face rookie left-hander Francisco Liriano, who made his season debut as a starter on May 19 at Miller Park. Liriano threw five innings, striking out five and allowing two hits and an earned run.

No Brewer notched more than a hit off Liriano. Yost said he hasn't determined his order for Sunday.

"I'm still mulling over the lineup," he said.

Pitching matchup
MIL: LHP Zach Jackson (1-0, 4.70 ERA)
Jackson faced the Cubs in his last start at Wrigley Field and surrendered three runs in 5 2/3 innings, with two of the runs coming on a homer by Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano. The Brewers have won three of Jackson's four Major League starts, and he has struck out 17 batters versus just three walks.

MIN: LHP Francisco Liriano (8-1, 2.21 ERA)
The 22-year-old southpaw continues to steamroll through difficult offenses. His latest was the Dodgers, as he held the club to just two runs on five hits over seven innings.

Player to watch
Bill Hall has five hits against the Twins this season, including a home run, with three RBIs and two runs.

Capuano tries to stop the Twins tonight.

Brewers manager Ned Yost could sense Bill Hall was starting to feel a little sluggish.

Since mid-May, Hall has started every game but two, one of which came against Kansas City last week when he was sick. He has just two hits in his last 16 at-bats and has struck out 11 times in the last five games.

Chris Barnwell started at shortstop Friday night and might get the nod on Saturday, Yost said. Barnwell recorded just one of five singles against Minnesota and knocked in one of two runs for his first career RBI.

"It's a chance to give him a little bit of a break," Yost said of Hall. "He's been striking out lately and that's kind of a sign where they're starting to drag a little bit."

Hall is hitting .268 with 16 home runs -- one short of tying a career high.

The Brewers are 6-7 in Interleague Play this season. Until Friday's 8-2 loss to the Twins, they were the only team in the National League Central, and one of just four in the entire NL, without a losing record against their American League counterparts.

Despite dropping below .500 against the AL, the Brewers still own the fifth-best record among National League clubs in Interleague Play. They're 1-3 against the Twins this season.

Pitching matchup
MIL: LHP Chris Capuano (9-4, 3.10 ERA)
Capuano put together his 16th quality start in 17 outings with eight-plus scoreless innings on Monday night at Wrigley Field. He dodged a bullet in the bottom of the ninth when an Aramis Ramirez line drive struck him on the left forearm, inches from his surgically-repaired elbow. But the team described it as a bruise, and Capuano said he expects to make his next start. It will be his final outing before All-Star rosters are announced on Sunday, and a number of Brewers expect Capuano to be on that list.

MIN: RHP Carlos Silva (4-8, 6.43 ERA)
The right-hander has worked to pitch more and throw less during many of his recent starts, and it appears to be working. Once Silva has gotten some early kinks out during his outing, he seems to be able to calm things down, to the point of giving up just two hits over his last five innings against the Dodgers. He pitched a complete game in just 74 pitches against the Brewers last year.

Player to watch
Prince Fielder needs one home run to tie the club record for homers in a season by a rookie. Fielder, who hit one on Monday against the Chicago Cubs, has 16 home runs this season -- most among National League rookies.

Capuano tries to stop the Twins tonight.

Brewers manager Ned Yost could sense Bill Hall was starting to feel a little sluggish.

Since mid-May, Hall has started every game but two, one of which came against Kansas City last week when he was sick. He has just two hits in his last 16 at-bats and has struck out 11 times in the last five games.

Chris Barnwell started at shortstop Friday night and might get the nod on Saturday, Yost said. Barnwell recorded just one of five singles against Minnesota and knocked in one of two runs for his first career RBI.

"It's a chance to give him a little bit of a break," Yost said of Hall. "He's been striking out lately and that's kind of a sign where they're starting to drag a little bit."

Hall is hitting .268 with 16 home runs -- one short of tying a career high.

The Brewers are 6-7 in Interleague Play this season. Until Friday's 8-2 loss to the Twins, they were the only team in the National League Central, and one of just four in the entire NL, without a losing record against their American League counterparts.

Despite dropping below .500 against the AL, the Brewers still own the fifth-best record among National League clubs in Interleague Play. They're 1-3 against the Twins this season.

Pitching matchup
MIL: LHP Chris Capuano (9-4, 3.10 ERA)
Capuano put together his 16th quality start in 17 outings with eight-plus scoreless innings on Monday night at Wrigley Field. He dodged a bullet in the bottom of the ninth when an Aramis Ramirez line drive struck him on the left forearm, inches from his surgically-repaired elbow. But the team described it as a bruise, and Capuano said he expects to make his next start. It will be his final outing before All-Star rosters are announced on Sunday, and a number of Brewers expect Capuano to be on that list.

MIN: RHP Carlos Silva (4-8, 6.43 ERA)
The right-hander has worked to pitch more and throw less during many of his recent starts, and it appears to be working. Once Silva has gotten some early kinks out during his outing, he seems to be able to calm things down, to the point of giving up just two hits over his last five innings against the Dodgers. He pitched a complete game in just 74 pitches against the Brewers last year.

Player to watch
Prince Fielder needs one home run to tie the club record for homers in a season by a rookie. Fielder, who hit one on Monday against the Chicago Cubs, has 16 home runs this season -- most among National League rookies.

  The cardinals and twins have the night off tonight. So overall a good day for the crew. Please do well agains the over the border you know whats.

Good night all.

"I had nothing," said a candid Brewers manager Ned Yost, whose pitching staff was in disarray because of injuries, overuse and a sharp set of salad tongs. Yep, salad tongs.

"I had no idea what we were doing all day long," Yost said. "I'm serious. I didn't know how we were going to get through it."

He must have had some idea, because the Brewers got through it with a win. Geremi Gonzalez overcame one of the more glaring errors in club history, the offense overcame a nearly missed opportunity, Matt Wise overcame those offending tongs and the Brewers overcame the Cubs, 5-4, in front of 39,144 fans at Wrigley Field.

The Brewers, who scored four of their five runs with two outs, won three of the four games in the series and once again pushed back to .500 at 40-40 heading into an Interleague series in Minnesota.

"The bullpen was the star of the day today," Yost said. "We talk about guys picking up the slack when things happen, and the bullpen definitely picked it up today."

"Things happen" was one way to describe what happened to Gonzalez (1-0) in the fifth inning. Making an emergency start because Doug Davis was out with back spasms, Gonzalez was spotted a 3-0 lead on RBI doubles by Carlos Lee and Bill Hall and a solo home run by Corey Koskie off Cubs starter Mark Prior (0-3).

Gonzalez recorded two quick outs in the fifth, but he ran into trouble when Todd Walker squared to bunt and popped the ball up between home plate and the pitcher's mound. Gonzalez called for what should have been an inning-ending out, but the ball hit the tip of his glove and fell to the grass.

"I think I lost concentration," Gonzalez said. "I lost it. I lost the ball."

Asked if it was the easiest popup in the history of Major League Baseball that wasn't caught, Yost said, "It very well could have been."

Appearing rattled, Gonzalez walked Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramiez to load the bases, and Jacque Jones lined a two-run single that cut the Brewers' lead to 3-2. Gonzalez evaded further damage, but Yost was forced to dip early into his stretched-thin bullpen.

"We were going to go as long as we could with Geremi," Yost said. "But Geremi lost his opportunity to win a Gold Glove [Award] and [he] cost himself about 16-17 extra pitches and two runs."

The Brewers came right back in the sixth, loading the bases with no outs against Prior before almost letting the Cubs off the hook. Prior struck out Damian Miller and Brady Clark looking, but pinch-hitter Gabe Gross followed with a bloop, two-run single that gave the Brewers a 5-2 lead and stood as the decisive hit in the game.

"I'm not complaining," Gross said. "I wouldn't trade it for a pot of gold right now."

Enter the Brewers bullpen. Wise, who cut his right middle finger on salad tongs after Sunday's game in Kansas City, managed to get through two innings without his usually sharp changeup. But he allowed a run in the sixth inning and another in the seventh, and he was facing runners at second and third with one out.

Wise induced a sharp Phil Nevin ground out to the third baseman, Koskie, who saved two Cubs runs with a backhanded stop. Wise then retired Ronny Cedeno on an inning-ending fly out.

"Honestly, I was just trying to keep the ball on the ground," Wise said of his at-bat against Nevin. "If the ball would have gotten through the hole, it might be a different story. I was just glad he hit it right to Corey, and he made a good play and kept the runners where they were."

Entering the game, Yost was not sure what he could get out of Wise. The cut on his finger happened to be right where he releases his signature changeup, and treatment did not stop the wound from breaking open in the bullpen during Wednesday's game.

"We were hoping that his finger would allow him to go two innings," Yost said. "You get in that kind of situation, and you're counting outs."

Complete coverage >

The Cubs were at it again in the eighth, when closer Derrick Turnbow was called on with runners at second and third base, Lee batting and the Brewers clinging to a one-run lead. Lee worked to a full count, but he waved at a low, outside fastball to end the threat.

"He's a great hitter and he's very aggressive, so I was just trying to match the aggressiveness," Turnbow said. "He's definitely not one of the guys you want to be facing in that situation, so fortunately, I was able to get out of there."

Turnbow kept the Cubs off the board in the ninth for his 23rd save this season and his first save of more than one inning since last Sept. 24.

"If that performance didn't put him in the All-Star Game, than I don't know what will," Wise said.

Wise had Turnbow's back, and the burly Brewers closer planned to return the favor. Wise has taken plenty of flack from teammates over the past few days for his run-in with those tongs, and Turnbow could not help but pile on.

"I'll have to hire someone to follow him around at all times to make sure he doesn't have any silverware, whatsoever," Turnbow said. "I sit with him on the plane, so I'll ask for plastic silverware."

Please beat the Twins this weekend.

This was Brewers-Cubs, after all. Long games, lead changes and loopy plays are as common in this series as the sausage races at Miller Park and the organ music at Wrigley Field. Order was restored at Wrigley on Tuesday night in the Brewers' 8-5 win in front of 39,399 fans.

At least the kind of order common to Brewers-Cubs.

The Brewers, who have showed a maddening inability to execute sacrifice bunts this season, were a perfect 4-for-4 on Tuesday, and all four bunts led directly to runs. Cubs starting pitcher Carlos Zambrano hit a two-run home run on a rare mistake by Brewers rookie starter Zach Jackson and sparked the first of two Chicago comebacks. And a pair of costly Cubs errors in the ninth inning erased the second of those rallies and allowed the Brewers to score the tying and go-ahead runs in a stunning, four-run outburst that sucked the goodwill out of the previously-friendly confines.

"It will never get old," said veteran infielder Jeff Cirillo, whose pinch-hit single gave the Brewers a temporary, 4-3 lead in the seventh. "It's always something weird. It's always a see-saw battle.

"We've been in the same situation [as the Cubs]," Cirillo said. "We've been in losing streaks and bad things happen. We don't feel sorry for them, because we've been in the same situation."

When the dust settled and the boos ceased, the Brewers had assured at least a split of the four-game series and had pushed back to .500 at 39-39. The Cubs were left to mull their fifth straight loss overall and their ninth straight at Wrigley Field, the team's longest home losing streak in 12 years. The fans who paid to see it were just shaking their heads.

"I forget how it even started," Brewers manager Ned Yost said after it was over.

The ninth inning started with Cubs closer Ryan Dempster (1-4) trying to close out a 5-4 lead. Brewers third baseman Corey Koskie started the inning with a single that ricocheted off Dempster's backside and eluded third baseman Aramis Ramirez. Damian Miller followed with a walk, and that's where it got wild.

Gabe Gross followed with the Brewers' fourth sacrifice bunt of the game. Dempster tried for the out at third, but he threw the ball into foul territory, allowing Koskie to score and Miller to advance to third. Miller scored on another error when pinch-hitter Corey Hart's ground ball rolled through the legs of Cubs shortstop Ronny Cedeno, who was playing on the edge of the infield grass.

All of a sudden, the Brewers had regained the lead, 6-5.

"This is rock bottom," Dempster said. "I guess we hit it."

Rickie Weeks and Geoff Jenkins added sacrifice flies before the long inning was over. All four Brewers runs in the inning were unearned.

"I don't know if you call it luck or what," said Gross. "There's no doubt that that they made some miscues and we capitalized. There was the walk to Damian, and then they threw the ball away on my bunt. You can't let a team give you opportunities and not take advantage of them."

Brian Shouse (1-0), who surrendered the go-ahead Cubs run in the bottom of the eighth inning on Todd Walker's pinch-hit single, picked up the win. Brewers closer Derrick Turnbow worked the bottom of the ninth for his 22nd save.

Carlos Lee hit his 25th home run, a solo shot in the fourth inning, giving the Brewers five home runs in the first two games of the four-game series. Six of the team's eight runs Tuesday scored as the result of sacrifice bunts or sacrifice flies. The Brewers entered the game tied for 12th in the 16-team National League with 24 sacrifice bunts but executed four of them on Tuesday -- All by Jackson and Gross -- and cashed in each time.

"If this team is to fulfill the dreams that we all have about this season, and that's taking it all the way," Gross said, "there are going to be some big games and some big moments where we're going to have to play small ball to win."

Gross made a second straight start over regular center fielder Brady Clark and was in the middle of the action all night. He walked and scored in the third inning -- despite Cubs manager Dusty Baker's argument that Gross left the baseline avoiding a rundown between second and third base -- and singled and scored in the fifth. Both times, Gross moved into scoring position on sacrifice bunts by Jackson.

Gross also dropped two bunts of his own, first in the seventh inning to position Cirillo for a pinch-hit, go-ahead single. Gross was credited with another in the ninth on the bunt that Dempster threw away.

"We manufactured runs when we needed to, and we're happy about that," Yost said. "We played good defense all night long. We took advantage of opportunities when they were presented to us, so I'm pleased about that."

The game nearly swung in the Cubs' favor. After Cirillo's pinch-hit single put the Brewers ahead in the seventh, the Cubs stormed back in the eighth and took their first lead of the night. Ramirez led off against Jose Capellan with a solo home run, and Walker delivered a go-ahead single off Shouse that skipped past third base, where Koskie was playing Walker to pull the ball.

Usually, Yost would have sent change-up specialist Matt Wise out to preserve a one-run lead in the eighth inning. Instead he stuck with Capellan, and told reporters after the game that Wise was unavailable.

"He had a battle with salad tongs in Kansas City, and he got a little cut on his middle finger," Yost said. "We were trying to stay away from him tonight."

Wise confirmed the incident joking, "At least it was someone in my own weight class."

Luckily for Wise, the Cubs' defense bailed the Brewers out.

Jackson began feeling ill over the weekend in Kansas City and was sent back to the team hotel on Friday and Saturday to recover from a sore throat and general weakness. He reported feeling much better on Sunday and threw a light bullpen, and said again on Monday that he was back on the road to health.

"I'm not worried about it," Jackson said. "Every start is different. Some days your stuff isn't that great but you feel good, and other days you don't feel good but you just focus more. It makes you concentrate that much more."

The 23-year-old will be making his fifth appearance and fourth start since a promotion from Triple-A Nashville on June 3. His last start was June 18 versus Cleveland, when Jackson surrendered eight hits in three innings but limited the damage to two runs, and the Brewers went on to win, 6-3.

He will be matched up against Cubs right-hander Carlos Zambrano, who has won each of his last three decisions and six of his last seven. The Brewers beat Zambrano and the Cubs at Wrigley Field on April 30, when Chris Capuano twirled a five-hit shutout.

The Cubs have lost eight straight home games.

Pitching matchup
MIL: LHP Zach Jackson (1-0, 4.67 ERA)
Making his first career appearance against the Cubs.

CHC: RHP Carlos Zambrano (6-3, 2.83 ERA)
Is 1-3 with a 3.38 ERA at home this season versus 5-0 with a 2.32 ERA away from Wrigley Field.

Player to watch
Carlos Lee is a career .385 hitter against Zambrano (10-for-26) with three home runs and 10 RBIs. The only other Brewer with a home run off Zambrano is Geoff Jenkins, who has one.

Go Crew....