Although the sweep was impossible, two of the players traded for Lee helped deliver one of the most important wins of the season on Sunday.
Facing the possibility of a seven-game deficit in the Wild Card standings, Kevin Mench hit a three-run home run and Francisco Cordero closed out a shaky ninth to propel the Brewers to a 4-3 victory against the Wild Card-leading Reds at Miller Park.
"This was a really big game for us to win," said Brewers manager Ned Yost. "Every win right now, as dumb as it sounds, is important."
And if the Brewers can make a serious charge back into the thick of the playoff chase, they can point to the seventh and ninth innings of Sunday's game as a catalyst for doing so.
In the seventh, Tony Graffanino and Prince Fielder hit consecutive singles to start the inning. That's when Mench stepped to the plate and hit his first home run as a Brewer with a shot to left field and gave the team a four-run lead.
"I was just looking for something to drive in that situation and I got it," Mench said. "I didn't think I hit that ball that far. Actually when I hit it, it went up into that open space up there and I didn't see it. I just went by the fans reaction."
After Mench touched home plate and entered the dugout, the Brewers fans -- many of whom voiced their displeasure with the trade that saw Lee exit town on Friday -- roused a curtain call from their new left fielder.
"I didn't know," said Mench of the fans reaction. "[Hitting coach] Butch [Wynegar] said they were calling me and I just went out. I don't like that stuff but if they want me to come out there I guess I will."
And although no one is saying "Carlos who?" in the Brewers locker room after Mench's five RBIs in two games, the initial adjustment period of losing their All-Star slugger seems to have passed for the Brewers as they now set their sights on getting back to .500.
It didn't hurt that starter Ben Sheets cruised through the first eight innings, either. With the team enjoying a four-run lead thanks to Mench and Sheets, it appeared as if the Brewers would ease to an important victory.
However, as has been the case more often than not in the last month, the game turned interesting with Derrick Turnbow on the mound in the ninth.
Turnbow entered after Sheets gave up a two-run home run to Ken Griffey Jr. Rich Aurilia then followed suit with a home run off Turnbow to make it a one-run game. After allowing two more men to reach, he was pulled with two outs.
Cordero entered and induced a ground ball by pinch-hitter David Ross to end the game and earn his first save as a Brewer.
"That's why we've got Frankie," Turnbow said. "That's what he's there for. I didn't get the job done. That's a huge win for us right there. As long as the job got done, that's all that matters. It was a good day."
Somewhat lost in the Mench hoopla and Turnbow's near-meltdown was a second consecutive stellar start by Sheets (2-3).
"Ben Sheets was as good as we've seen all year," said Reds manager Jerry Narron. "A real good fastball. He was throwing cut fastballs. He had a good breaking ball."
As he did in his first start off the disabled list on Tuesday, Sheets settled into a groove after the first couple of innings. At one point, Sheets retired 11 batters in a row. Sheets also reported no soreness in his shoulder and said he would be ready for his next start.
"I felt good today," Sheets said. "My arm is still getting there but this is a nice step. I wouldn't say it was outstanding. I still don't have that arm strength where I can grip it and rip it but there's still definitely room for improvement on that."
It appeared, however, that just like on Tuesday, Sheets would once again be the victim of almost no run support and the team would allow another club to come back in the late innings. The Brewers stranded a runner in each of the first three innings and after getting the first two men on in the fifth, Fielder, Mench and Geoff Jenkins recorded three straight outs to end the threat.
But the lead provided by Mench in the seventh held up for Sheets. In eight innings, he allowed seven hits and struck out 10 batters. The right-hander now has 12 career double-digit strikeout games.
"It's a good start, I'll say that," said pitching coach Mike Maddux. "Are we out of the woods yet? Time will tell. But I like where we're at. He held his pitch count down and was pretty aggressive, and because his pitch count was so low we stayed with him."
More important than a low pitch count and a dominant outing, though, was the final result. One that left the Brewers within striking distance of a team they won't face the rest of the regular season, instead of a full week's worth of games back.
"I don't care about the decision, we needed a win bad," Sheets said. "Two out of three, we needed to do that and we did it. I'm hoping that can set us in the right direction for what we want to do."