MILWAUKEE -- The way Moises Alou sees it, there is still plenty for the San Francisco Giants to play for even though they are all but eliminated from the playoff race.
Alou collected his 2,000th career hit but Ben Sheets pitched eight solid innings to lead the Milwaukee Brewers over the Giants 5-3 Sunday, completing a four-game sweep.
The loss coupled with San Diego's 2-1 win over the Pirates eliminated San Francisco from the NL West race. The Giants trail the Phillies by seven for the wild card with seven to go.
San Francisco has lost nine of its last 11 games and has been outscored 93-50 in its last nine.
"You have got to play for the fans," said Alou, whose second-inning double was his 2,000th hit. "You have to respect the fans, especially with the Dodgers coming to town. You have to be a professional about it. You can't go out there and go through the motions."
Mike Rivera hit a bases-clearing double in the sixth to lead the Brewers, who won their fifth straight, their longest winning streak since they won five in a row to start the season.
Sheets (6-7) yielded two runs and five hits. He struck out six and didn't walk a batter.
"We located the ball," Sheets said. "Mike (Rivera) called a good game out there."
Rivera also had the key hit off Giants starter Matt Cain (13-11), who gave up five runs and seven hits with five walks in seven innings. He struck out seven.
Cain was 5-1 in his previous seven starts with a 1.52 ERA.
Sunday, he pitched well until the sixth, when he walked the bases loaded with two outs and Rivera, the backup catcher, lined an 0-2 double high off the wall in left-center to drive in Bill Hall, Geoff Jenkins and David Bell.
"I am still frustrated with myself about that," Cain said. "I don't know. I just walked three guys that are (free) swingers, and I just didn't give them a chance to swing. I just messed up terribly 0-2 to Rivera."
Francisco Cordero allowed Pedro Feliz's one-out RBI single in the ninth before getting Eliezer Alfonzo to ground into a double play with the bases loaded. It was Cordero's 16th save in 16 chances since joining the Brewers on July 28.
Barry Bonds did not play for the Giants one day after passing Hank Aaron for the National League home run record (734). Manager Felipe Alou said Bonds was available to pinch hit in the ninth, but he did not want to take out Alfonzo, who had two doubles.
"We kind of kept looking for him once the winning run got to the plate," Brewers manager Ned Yost said of Bonds. "I'm glad they didn't use him."
Said Felipe Alou: "Usually we send for him. If we had been in the pennant race, I would have called for him. But it's not the same."
Alou joined 243 other players in the 2,000-hit club. Felipe Alou had 2,101 hits in his 17-year career.
"It's nice to have in the family two guys with 2,000," Felipe Alou said. "I don't know how many families can claim that."
