The Brewers slumped home after their worst road trip in two years and vowed not to let their recent struggles affect their performance in September.

"You play 162 games, regardless of how good or how bad we've done here in the last week," said veteran infielder Jeff Cirillo, who was ejected in the finale of an 0-7 road trip. "There are still people who are going to pay to come watch us play, and we have to be professional about winning baseball games. We haven't played very well."

But they have played well at Miller Park, going 39-26 there this season. Only the first-place Mets (43), Dodgers (42) and Cardinals (40) have more home wins among National League clubs.

Chris Capuano will start the opener of a nine-game Brewers homestand against Marlins right-hander Anibal Sanchez in a rematch of Sunday's game at Dolphin Stadium. Neither starter got a decision in an eventual 4-3 Marlins win that capped a four-game sweep.

The Brewers' tough trip left the team 10 games under .500. They need to go 19-9 in September to avoid their 13th losing season in 14 years, and history says that's going to be tremendously difficult. They have not won that many games in one month in 14 years, since the 1992 team went 20-7 in September and won 11 of 12 games in one stretch.

Pitching matchup
MIL: LHP Chris Capuano (11-8, 3.53)
Capuano allowed just two hits with nine strikeouts over six scoreless innings at Florida on Sunday, but surrendered back-to-back solo homers in the seventh. The no-decision was Capuano's third in his past four appearances.

FLA: RHP Anibal Sanchez (5-2, 3.41)
Sanchez has not surrendered more than two earned runs in five straight starts.

Player to watch
Brewers manager Ned Yost hoped to give slumping first baseman Prince Fielder two full days off before the start of the homestand, but Fielder was called to duty Thursday after Cirillo was ejected in the first inning. Fielder hit an RBI single that snapped an 0-for-17 drought and later belted a solo home run, his 24th. "He got back a little more to being himself tonight," Yost said. "He wasn't over-swinging. He had a nice, quick stroke, good hands."

HOUSTON -- At least the Brewers didn't finish their worst road trip in recent memory without a fight.

First baseman Jeff Cirillo and manager Ned Yost were ejected in a first-inning incident that left many of the 36,438 at Minute Maid Park unsure what had happened, and those same fans celebrated as the Astros put together a four-run seventh inning for a 5-3 win and a series sweep on Thursday night.

After winning seven of their previous 10 games and charging into the thick of the National League Central and NL Wild Card races, the Brewers went 0-7 at Florida and Houston and fell to a season-low 10 games under .500. The team's dismal trip increased the likelihood of the franchise's 13th losing season in the last 14 years.

"We're just running out of answers," said losing pitcher Doug Davis (9-9).

Davis was sharp for six innings -- "I felt like I had the best stuff I've had all year," he said -- but he surrendered three Astros runs and the lead in the bottom of the seventh. No. 8 hitter Brad Ausmus yanked an RBI double that tied the game at 2, and two batters later Willy Taveras bounced a go-ahead double over the head of third baseman David Bell, who was playing in because of Taveras' ability to drop a bunt.

"You have to play in there because [Taveras] can bunt so well, and it's such a weapon," Yost said.

Craig Biggio greeted reliever Rick Helling with a two-run home run to the short porch in left field, and the Brewers were on the way to their 46th loss in 69 road games this season.

In 6 2/3 innings, Davis was charged with four runs on six hits and three walks. He struck out two. The Astros' rally came just in time for starter Andy Pettitte (13-13), who surrendered two runs -- one earned -- on five hits in seven innings. He struck out five and his only walk was intentional.

The Brewers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the third inning on consecutive RBI singles by Tony Graffanino, who worked a brilliant, 12-pitch at-bat, and Prince Fielder, who entered in the bottom of the first for Cirillo and snapped an 0-for-17 slump. In the eighth, Fielder hit a line-drive home run just inside the right-field foul pole to cut the deficit to two runs.

"I don't think we're playing bad ball," Davis said. "We're just getting bad breaks. That's the bottom line."

Before Davis threw his first pitch, Cirillo and Yost were ejected by first-base umpire Tim Timmons, who called Cirillo out on an apparent infield hit that ended the top if the first inning. That disagreement came two batters after a perplexing incident in which Brady Clark got into a heated argument with Timmons following a leadoff groundout. It apparently was triggered because Timmons was upset by Clark stepping way out of the batter's box after a called strike by rookie home-plate umpire Travis Reininger earlier in the at-bat.

"I don't want to talk about it," Clark said. "Go ask Tim Timmons."

So a reporter did, and Timmons sent word through a clubhouse attendant that he wasn't talking.

Brewers first-base coach Dave Nelson said Timmons screamed at Clark to "get back in the box," after Clark's groundout to shortstop, as he turned and trotted toward the Brewers dugout. Timmons then walked toward Clark and said, according to Nelson, "Don't ever do that to my guy again."

Cirillo's play was far less clear. He hit a chopper to second baseman Biggio, whose throw appeared to be at least a half-step too late. But Timmons' call was out, and Cirillo spiked his helmet and immediately was ejected.

"I would hate to think that he would sacrifice his job performance on a personal issue," Cirillo said. "Hopefully he just missed the call. Only he knows that. I was wrong to slam my helmet [but] I am going to protect my teammate, too. ... It set the tone for the whole game, the whole series."

Said Yost: "I don't think he intentionally called him out, but he definitely lost his focus and missed the play. It wasn't even close."

Controversial calls were not the reason for the Brewers' frustrating August. With 18 of their 28 games coming on the road, the team knew that the month would likely define its season. They finished the month 12-16 including 5-13 on the road.

During their just-finished seven-game trip, the Brewers scored 18 total runs, including 13 runs in their final 60 innings. They batted .216 on the trip.

"I was nervous about all of those road games, but I just kept thinking that we would find a way to break out of it and find a way to win some games on the road," Yost said earlier Thursday. "It's just not us that's [struggling], but that doesn't make it any better."

Yost was asked if his team's poor August has "rendered September moot."

"My brain doesn't think that way," the skipper said. "I always think we're going to get it turned around. That's just the way I think. I don't know what's going to happen, but [other] clubs can do it, so why can't we? There are teams out there on rolls and winning six, seven, eight, nine and 10 in a row. Why can't we? What better time to do it than now?"

History says it is going to be exceptionally difficult. The Brewers need to go 19-9 in September to break even at 81-81 for the second straight season. They have not won that many games in one month in 14 years, since the 1992 team went 20-7 in September and won 11 of 12 games in one stretch. The team has played 82 full months since then.

  They need to break these road woes.!!!!!!!!!

Brewers manager Ned Yost has tried to figure out his team's struggles away from Miller Park this season. On Wednesday he dialed his mentor.

Braves manager Bobby Cox knows something about confounding splits. His club is tied for the second-fewest home wins in the National League but has played relatively well on the road. The Brewers own the second-worst road record in the league but have the third most wins at home.

Cox's advice, according to Yost: "There's no rhyme or reason to it. I just got to the point where I couldn't figure it out -- just go and play the game every day."

The Brewers have been trying, and they will try again on Thursday night. Doug Davis is scheduled to take the hill against Astros left-hander Andy Pettitte, and Milwaukee will try to snap its six-game losing streak.

It will be a tough rebound from Wednesday, when the Astros scored a bizarre 1-0 win on a bases-loaded groundout in the bottom of the ninth inning. Brewers first baseman Jeff Cirillo made a nice diving play, but it worked against his team in a tough-to-take loss.

"This is the Major Leagues, and there's no pity party," Cirillo said. "Those guys over there are fighting to get back to the playoffs. They bumped up their top three starters for us. They're not going to roll over."

Pitching matchup
MIL: LHP Doug Davis (9-8, 5.17 ERA)
Is 0-2 in two appearances against the Astros this season.

HOU: LHP Andy Pettitte (12-13, 4.56 ERA)
Is 7-3 against the Brewers in his career with a 3.62 ERA.

Players to watch
Outfielder Kevin Mench, a player who Yost said on Wednesday, "We've got to get going," is a career .462 hitter against Pettitte (6-for-13). He's not the only one with some success against the lefty; others include Jeff Cirillo (.500, 16-for-32 with a double, a triple and two home runs), Tony Graffanino (.471, 8-for-17) and Corey Hart (.500, 1-for-2).

I will still stick with them though, no matter what. Someday they will win the whole thing. I promise you that. This is last nights heartbreaker loss recap.

HOUSTON -- The Brewers own the National League's second-worst road record for a variety of reasons, usually having something to do with missed offensive opportunities, a bad inning or two from the pitching staff or a little defensive mistake that later looms large.

But in Wednesday's 1-0 loss to the Astros at Minute Maid Park, first baseman Jeff Cirillo made a highlight-worthy play and it cost his team the game. So it goes for the Brewers, a team that has enjoyed even less success on the road this summer than the Spice Girls reunion tour.

"It's a great play that turned bad, I guess," Cirillo said.

"That play right there kind of sums up our road trip," echoed catcher Damian Miller. "I've never had a game end like that. Never seen a play like that. It's frustrating."

Starting pitcher Dave Bush pitched seven marvelous innings, but the Brewers were shut out by Roger Clemens and two Astros relievers and dropped nine games under .500 for the first time this season. They are 23-45 on the road this season including 0-6 on their current trip to Florida and Houston, a serious letdown after a 5-2 homestand rekindled hopes of a run for the team's first postseason appearance in 24 years.

With the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth, one out and the teams locked in a scoreless tie, Aubrey Huff hit a sharp grounder along the first-base line. Cirillo made a diving stop, tapped first base and fired home, but because the out had already been recorded at first, there was no longer a force play in order at the plate.

Mike Lamb scored the winning run on what went in the books as Huff's RBI groundout.

"Honestly, I thought even if I tagged the base I still had a shot at Lamb," Cirillo said. "I guess he's a little better runner than I thought. I tried to throw low for Damian. I just didn't get a very good read."

Cirillo's momentum carried him over the foul line, and he initially believed first-base umpire Travis Reininger had called the ball foul. But the call was fair, and Brewers manager Ned Yost agreed.

"Yes, it was fair," Yost snapped at the beginning of brief postgame comments.

"It's a hard play. It's a tough play," Yost continued. "Momentum is taking you that way, and you're right there on the bag. Your instinct when the bag is right there is to tag it."

Miller said he never saw Cirillo tap first base. He received the throw standing upright and did not attempt to tag Lamb or to block home plate.

"I don't know if I had time to tag the guy anyway," Miller said.

"In case you guys didn't understand that last play, I'll explain it to you," a slightly more jovial Astros manager Phil Garner said. "We've been working on it a lot in Spring Training, and we finally got in a situation to use it tonight."

Jose Capellan (2-1) took the tough loss, and Brad Lidge (1-4) got the win for Houston with a scoreless ninth.

The Brewers had a runner in scoring position with one out in the seventh inning against Clemens, in the eighth against Astros reliever Dan Wheeler and again in the ninth against Lidge, but they were unable to score each time.

Astros center fielder Willy Taveras had something to do with the Brewers' continuing inability to score runs, and in Clemens' continued dominance over Milwaukee. Taveras threw out Cirillo trying to stretch a double into a triple in the fourth inning, ranged to the warning track to catch Bush's long fly ball in the sixth and tracked down David Bell's bases-loaded line drive with the bases loaded to end the seventh.

"We have to get better as a whole," Bush said. "In order to win on the road you have to win those close games, whether it's with pitching or getting clutch hits or making good defensive plays. They won the game with a little bit of everything, and that's the kind of stuff we have to come up with. ... Good teams win 10 extra games because they come away with wins in games like this. On the road, especially."

Bush and Clemens dueled through seven masterful innings and surrendered six total hits -- four off Clemens and two off Bush. Bush pitched perhaps his best innings of the season, holding Houston scoreless with one walk and four strikeouts and retiring the final 10 batters he faced, including the final seven without a ball leaving the infield.

"He actually pitched a little better than Roger," Cirillo said.

But with Bush at just 82 pitches in the top of the eighth inning, Yost went to the bench with one out and the bases. Pinch-hitter Geoff Jenkins drew a walk from Wheeler and moved to second on Corey Hart's single, but the next two hitters popped out as the tie remained intact.

"He pitched great, and we really didn't want to hit for him in the eighth right there because he was throwing so good," Yost said of Bush. "But we're trying to find a way to scratch one run there."

Said Bush: "I don't want to come out of any game, whether I'm throwing well or not. But it was a situation where they had some guys on the bench and were trying to score a run. In a game like that, a lot of times one run makes the difference."

Clemens also worked seven innings and matched a season-high with nine strikeouts.

"We got to watch one of the best ever in action," Bush said.

He welcomed the challenge.

"You get locked into games like that where you have to match someone pitch-for-pitch and every pitch is critical," he said. "I enjoy that."

After Wednesday's weirdness, what's next for the road-weary Brewers?

"What's next is we have to make something happen," Miller said. "I think we're just pressing a little bit, especially me. I'm struggling, doing whatever I can to get a hit. It's not easy when you're facing Clemens, Wheeler and Lidge in one night. We gave ourselves a chance, we're just not getting that hit with runners in scoring position right now."

THIS WEEK'S NOTABLE STORYLINES:
-The Packers return to Cincinnati, site of one of their strangest games in recent memory last Oct. 30, for their first 2006 national television appearance.

-It's the first of four 2006 games in which the Packers are guaranteed to play on national television. Two of the others also are ESPN Monday Night Football contests, at Philadelphia (Oct. 2) and at Seattle (Nov. 27). The fourth is a Thursday night affair on the NFL Network, vs. Minnesota (Dec. 21). In addition, NBC could select the Packers to play on a Sunday night during the last half of the season, with the league's new flexible scheduling option.

-RB Ahman Green (quadriceps) and LB Brady Poppinga are expected to play in their first game since injuries ended their respective 2005 seasons. In addition, unrestricted free agent S Marquand Manuel (calf) is expected to make his unofficial Packers debut.

-Projected regular-season starters are expected to see their most action of the preseason, customary for Week 3.

-The Packers have seven days in between preseason Games 2-3, before concluding the preseason on just three days "rest" vs. Tennessee (Sept. 1).

-Following the contest, the Packers need to make their first roster reduction, to 75 players (by 3 p.m. CDT Aug. 29). All exemptions also expire on the first date, unlike previous years.

NATIONAL TELEVISION: Monday Night Football, the most successful series in sports television history, moves to ESPN under an eight-year agreement between the network and the NFL starting this season.

-The network's new broadcast crew, anchored by play-by-play man Mike Tirico, includes analysts Joe Theismann and Tony Kornheiser, sideline reporters Suzy Kolber and Michele Tafoya, producer Jay Rothman and director Chip Dean in the truck, along with statistician Alex Stern from Elias Sports Bureau.

-The contest also will air as a simulcast locally on WBAY (Ch. 2) in Green Bay and WISN (Ch. 12) ion Milwaukee.

-What's more, ESPN International will air the contest in three languages to over 180 countries.

-The new agreement calls for 17 regular-season Monday night games per season on ESPN - featuring a new 7:30 p.m. CT telecast time (7:40 p.m. kickoff) - plus four preseason contests.

PACKERS RADIO: Milwaukee's WTMJ (620 AM), airing Green Bay games since 1929, heads up the 57-station Packers Radio Network, with versatile Wayne Larrivee (play-by-play) and two-time Packers Pro Bowler Larry McCarren (color). Spanning five states, the network covers 47 markets in six states throughout the upper Midwest. The broadcast also is available to NFL Field Pass subscribers on packers.com.

THE DOPE ON THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT:
Packers vs. Cincinnati Bengals:
All-time regular season: 5-5-0
All-time, preseason: 4-9-1
All-time, in Cincinnati: 1-3-0
Streaks: Bengals' win last year ended Packers' three-game winning streak
Last meeting, regular season: Oct. 30, 2005, Paul Brown Stadium, Bengals won, 21-14
Last meeting, regular season, Lambeau Field: Dec. 3, 1995, Packers won, 24-10
Last meeting, preseason: Aug. 24, 1991, Milwaukee County Stadium, Bengals won, 19-16 (OT)

COACHES CAPSULES
Mike McCarthy: 0-0, first NFL season
Marvin Lewis: 27-22, .551, fourth NFL season, fourth with Bengals
Head to Head: (never met)
vs. Opponent: McCarthy 0-0 vs. Bengals; Lewis 1-0 vs. Packers

MIKE McCARTHY...Is in his first year as the Packers' 14th head coach.

-Was named Packers head coach on Jan. 12, 2006, his first head coaching job after 13 years as an NFL assistant.

-One of those previous 13 years was with the Packers, as quarterbacks coach in 1999.

-Spent the past six seasons as an offensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints (2000-04) and San Francisco 49ers (2005).

-Has never been a head coach at any level, having begun his coaching career as a college assistant at Fort Hays State (1987-88) and the University of Pittsburgh (1989-92) before breaking into the NFL as a quality control assistant with the Chiefs in 1993.

MARVIN LEWIS...Is in his fourth year as the Bengals' ninth head coach.

-In 2005, the Bengals reached the playoffs for the first time since 1990, going 11-5 and losing in the AFC Wild Card Game to eventual Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh.

-In 2003, the Bengals were the NFL's most improved team (six-game increase), and Lewis finished second in Associated Press voting for NFL Coach of the Year while also being named Rookie Coach of the Year by Football Digest.

-Prior to his arrival, Lewis directed the NFL's fifth-ranked defensive unit with the Washington Redskins (2002).

-He spent six seasons (1996-2001) as defensive coordinator with the Baltimore Ravens, a tenure that included a Super Bowl victory following the 2000 season. In the 2000 regular season, Lewis' Baltimore defense set the NFL record for fewest points allowed in a 16-game campaign (165). Prior to joining Baltimore, he spent four seasons (1992-95) with Pittsburgh as linebackers coach.

THE PACKERS-BENGALS SERIES: These clubs have met 10 times, splitting the contests.

-Prior to last year, the Packers owned a three-game winning streak in the series (24-23 in 1992 and 24-10 in 1995, both in Green Bay, and 13-6 in 1998 at Cincinnati). That 1998 meeting is the Packers' lone win in Cincinnati in franchise history.

-The series launched at Lambeau Field in 1971, when the legendary Paul Brown was head coach of the Bengals, a team he had founded three years earlier as a member of the then American Football League. The Packers got off to a winning start in the rivalry, posting a 20-17 victory in their first meeting, with a Lou Michaels field goal providing the victory margin.

-Perhaps the most memorable game in the series came in 1992 when Brett Favre, summoned to replace an injured Don Majkowski at quarterback in the first period, proceeded to direct the Packers to an electrifying, 24-23 come-from-behind victory, forged when he hit wide receiver Kitrick Taylor with a 35-yard scoring pass as only 13 seconds remained in the game. Chris Jacke's subsequent conversion settled the issue.

NOTABLE CONNECTIONS: Lewis and McCarthy were both assistant coaches at the University of Pittsburgh in 1990 and 1991...Bengals LB Hannibal Navies played two seasons with the Packers, in 2003 and 2004...Another LB, Marcus Wilkins, originally signed as a rookie free agent with Green Bay in 2002 and played his first two seasons with the Packers...Ohio State products include LB A.J. Hawk (Centerville High School), DE/DT Kenny Peterson (Canton McKinley High School), and DT Ryan Pickett ...FB William Henderson (Green Bay) and RB Rudi Johnson (Cincinnati) are cousins...Packers RB Arliss Beach is from nearby Ashland, Ky. ...New Green Bay CB Antonio Malone is from Portsmouth, Ohio, just miles from Ashland...Bengals WR Antonio Chatman played the last three seasons for the Packers...Bengals WR Reggie McNeal and Packers DT Johnny Jolly were teammates at Texas A&M and were both drafted in the sixth round in April 2006...Packers LB Roy Manning and Bengals RB Chris Perry were teammates at Michigan...Bengals defensive line coach Jay Hayes was an assistant coach at Wisconsin from 1995-98...Packers public relations coordinator Sarah Quick is a native of Middletown, Ohio, and graduated from Ursuline Academy...Cincinnati S Kevin Kaesviharn also originally signed as a rookie free agent with Green Bay, in 2001, and returned an INT that year for a touchdown in the Family Night scrimmage.

INDIVIDUALLY VS. CINCINNATI: In last year's game at Cincinnati, three Packers defenders set their career highs in various categories -- linebacker Nick Barnett with 15 solo tackles, defensive tackle Colin Cole with seven total tackles, safety Nick Collins with three passes defensed. Also in that game, tight end Bubba Franks tied his career-high with 62 receiving yards (on seven receptions)...Favre has 1,181 career passing yards in four career games against the Bengals, his most against an AFC opponent.

LAST MEETING, REGULAR SEASON: Oct. 25, 2005, Paul Brown Stadium, Bengals won, 21-14.

-In one of the strangest endings to any game, the Packers drove from deep in their own territory in the final minute with the help of a 48-yard pass interference penalty. Going without a huddle against a reeling defense, the Packers had a play blown dead from the Bengals' 28 when a fan jumped out of the stands and ran onto the field. The man grabbed the ball out of Favre's hand and eluded security, which needed several minutes to tackle and arrest him. The long delay broke the Packers' momentum, Favre was sacked on the next play and then threw a desperation pass from beyond the line of scrimmage on the final snap.

-Favre passed John Elway for second all-time in passing attempts and passing yards but threw a regular-season high five interceptions. His touchdown pass to Bubba Franks, following an Ahmad Carroll interception and 88-yard drive, pulled the Packers within a touchdown with 3:11 left in the fourth quarter.

-Odell Thurman's second interception, off a tip by Deltha O'Neal, came one play before Carson Palmer's 27-yard TD pass to Jeremi Johnson, giving the Bengals a 21-7 lead. Palmer threw for three TDs on the day.

LAST MEETING, PRESEASON: Aug. 24, 1991, Milwaukee County Stadium, Bengals won, 19-16 (OT).

-Jim Breech kicked a game-saving, 31-yard field goal with three seconds in regulation, then connected on a 43-yard game-winner in OT.

-The Packers built a 13-0 lead on a pair of Brad Daluiso field goals and Sterling Sharpe's 25-yard TD reception from Don Majkowski.

Still in the thick of the National League Central and Wild Card races, the Brewers did not have the kind of weekend that will allow them to gain much ground.

In a key series against the Wild Card-contending Marlins, the Brewers have dropped the first three games. Fortunately, the Reds and Cardinals have also struggled lately, allowing the Brewers to not lose much ground.

Milwaukee has a chance to salvage the finale against Florida on Monday in hopes of avoiding a four-game sweep. The Brewers have not lost four games in a row since July 18-22 against the Giants and Reds.

Ben Sheets will take the mound on Monday, looking for his second straight win. In his last start, Sheets allowed just one run on six hits over seven innings against the Rockies.

The right-hander missed nearly two months of the season with a right shoulder injury. He'll face off against Marlins rookie Josh Johnson, who leads the Majors with a 2.90 ERA.

Pitching matchup
MIL: RHP Ben Sheets (4-5, 5.02 ERA)
Sheets is 2-3 lifetime against the Marlins, with a 3.70 ERA.

FLA: RHP Josh Johnson (11-6, 2.90 ERA)
Johnson has won three of his last four decisions and has gone at least seven innings eight times.

Player to watch
Marlins third baseman Miguel Cabrera is second in the Major Leagues with 31 RBIs this month, trailing only the Phillies' Ryan Howard.

  Just get through the beginning of the week.

MIAMI -- Despite six innings of outstanding pitching, one bad inning left Chris Capuano feeling ill.

Capuano cruised through six innings on Sunday afternoon before he gave up back-to-back homers to allow the Marlins to tie the game in the seventh inning. Both teams scored one more run before Brian Shouse gave up a walk-off double to pinch-hitter Mike Jacobs in the bottom of the ninth that sent the Brewers to a 4-3 loss, their third straight against the Marlins.

"It was a nice piece of hitting, right down the third-base line," Brewers manager Ned Yost said of Jacobs' double. "They found a way to get a hit, score a big run, and we couldn't."

The loss dropped Milwaukee's road record to 23-42. It also continued the Brewers' drop in the NL Wild Card race, as they stayed 4 1/2 games behind the Reds, who lost in San Francisco on Sunday.

Up until the seventh inning, Capuano was having one of his best outings of the season. But a pair of solo blasts by Miguel Cabrera and Josh Willingham ruined the left-hander's day.

"I pitched well the whole game, but I just made those two mistakes at the end, so it leaves you feeling kind of sick about it," Capuano said.

Dan Uggla broke up the 2-2 tie when he hit an RBI single off Dan Kolb in the eighth inning, driving in Hanley Ramirez and giving the Marlins a 3-2 lead. David Bell's solo homer off Florida closer Joe Borowski tied the game in the top of the ninth.

At that point, the Brewers felt good about their chances. The Brewers are 7-1 in extra innings this season, and they were one out away from playing into the 10th. But with two outs in the ninth, Shouse walked Jeremy Hermida to put the winning run on base.

"I shouldn't have walked him," Shouse said. "He laid off of some good pitches. And that 3-2 pitch -- I tried to be too fine with and he laid off of it."

Shouse immediately paid for the mistake when Jacobs, pinch-hitting for Borowski, lined a double down the third-base line that Kevin Mench, who was shaded towards left-center field, couldn't get to in time

"It just hugged the wall, almost sliced it," Mench said. "As soon as I picked it up, he was touching the bag. I thought it would pick up speed, but it just stayed inside."

Before the pivotal seventh inning, Capuano had held the Marlins to just two hits, both by Willingham, with nine strikeouts. The no-decision was Capuano's third in his past four appearances.

The first home run Capuano gave up was on a 3-2 fastball to Cabrera, a pitch Capuano said he could live with. It was Willingham's blast -- on an 0-2 fastball down the middle -- that left Capuano upset.

"The pitch to Cabrera, I don't mind so much; I was 3-2 to him. That doesn't really get me as much as the pitch to Willingham," Capuano said. "There's a lot of things I could've done there, but I missed my spot. Especially with a guy 0-2, to throw one right down the middle is inexcusable."

Capuano, who was feeling the effects of the South Florida heat, said he had told Yost before the seventh that he had one more inning in him.

"That was a big inning there for me," Capuano said. "I was going to go in there and shut him down. For me to have a lapse of focus like that just really [ticks] me off. We're not going to hang our heads, but it was a tough loss."

Both teams remained scoreless over the first four innings until the Brewers finally got on the board in the fifth inning. Capuano led off the inning with a single and was followed by Gabe Gross, who hit a double to center field. Anibal Sanchez retired the next two batters before Bill Hall hit a two-run single off Sanchez that drove in Capuano and Gross.

The Brewers had an early opportunity to score in the second inning. Bell lined a double to center field and Mike Rivera walked to put two runners on with one out. Sanchez bore down, though, and picked up the final outs to get out of the inning unscathed.

"We battled all day, got great pitching from Cappy," Mench said. "We just couldn't get hits with guys on when we needed to."

Enjoy your day. I hope it's nice outside where you are.

Though it's been an up-and-down season for Chris Capuano, the veteran lefty still owns more wins than any Brewers pitcher.

Capuano has won 11 games this season, but he's managed to get just two victories in his previous 10 starts. In his last outing, Capuano pitched six scoreless innings, giving up three hits and striking out three.

The win also was Capuano's first since the All-Star break. He went 10-4 with a 3.21 ERA before the break. Since the break, though, Capuano has gone 1-4 in eight appearances.

He'll take the mound against Anibal Sanchez, who has gone 5-2 with a 3.44 ERA since joining the Marlins in late June.

Pitching matchup
MIL: LHP Chris Capuano (11-8, 3.55 ERA)
Capuano had gone 0-4 with a 5.10 ERA in seven starts before picking up a win in his last start.

FLA: RHP Anibal Sanchez (5-2, 3.44 ERA)
Sanchez has pitched at least six innings in his past four starts.

Player to watch
Dan Uggla is second among all Major League rookies in average (.290), home runs (19), and RBIs (71).