Short Hops: Something brewing in Milwaukee?

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Not that there were a whole lot of people to witness it -- average attendance in Miller Park for a three-game series with Philadelphia this week was a disappointing 12,120 -- but the Milwaukee Brewers did something on their just-completed homestand that they hadn't done in 13 years.

They won nine -- count 'em -- times.

While Jason Giambi, Dontrelle Willis and the Chicago White Sox continue to grab the headlines, the Brewers are very quietly at work taking a few steps forward. They went 9-3 against the Phillies, Mets, Cubs and Reds at home over the past two weeks, marking the first time they've won nine games in a single homestand since they went 9-1 from Sept. 18-27, 1992.

That helped push them to a 92-70 finish in '92, and the Brewers have had a losing record in every single season since.

This year? Well, the Brewers don't appear ready to storm to the division lead. Yes, they've compiled a seven-game winning streak this season (April 28-May 5) but they've also suffered a seven-game losing streak (April 15-21). Their pitching has a tendency to be taken deep -- Milwaukee pitchers have allowed four homers in three of their past six games and 21 in their past seven games -- but the Brewers at midweek, led by Ben Sheets and Victor Santos, ranked a very respectable fourth in the NL in ERA. And closer Derrick Turnbow has been a find.

Offensively, after what sometimes seemed like an interminable waiting period, outfielder Brady Clark is finally emerging. Clark through midweek led the club in batting average (.341), runs (29), hits (47) and total bases (66). He also has played in all 33 games.

"Brady sat the bench enough the last two, three years," manager Ned Yost told Milwaukee reporters. "We don't want him out (of the lineup) now."

The Brewers are just over that pesky .500 mark -- 17-16 -- as they open a three-city trip Friday that takes them to Pittsburgh, Washington and Minnesota for the start of this year's round of interleague play.

They keep doing what they're doing, they may even find a few more fans in Miller Park when they return.

• You just knew those back-to-back walk-off homers this week by Kevin Millar and Jason Varitek against Oakland's Octavio Dotel would send Boston media relation experts scrambling to the research books. And so it did: Last time the Red Sox whacked back-to-back walk-off homers: July 21 and 22, 1935, courtesy of Wes Ferrell each time. That was back in, uh, the days before the designated hitter. Ferrell was a pitcher masquerading as a pinch-hitter. Masqueraded pretty well, too. Till now, that was the only time in Boston history that the Sox collected last at-bat homers to win consecutive games.

• The last team to turn the back-to-back trick? Seems like it just happened yesterday: The 2004 Detroit Tigers, who did it in three consecutive games June 26, 27 and 29. Eric Muson's solo homer beat Arizona, Carlos Pena's grand slam stunned the Diamondbacks again and Dmitri Young beat Cleveland.

• Tame trip this week for the Los Angeles Angels, who go to Detroit and Cleveland -- and, most important, stay in the same time zone. The Angels' last trip -- April 26-May 4 -- took them to three different cities in three different time zones: New York (Eastern), Minnesota (Central) and Seattle (Pacific). Even the team's resident Rand McNally -- Orlando Cabrera, who was on his share of crazy trips for the Montreal/Puerto Rico Expos in recent years -- was shocked. "I've never had that before," Cabrera says. "I was like, 'Wow!' It was weird."

• The Dodgers are out of patience, and veteran Scott Erickson might be out of time. He'll take the hill Sunday against Atlanta, but that could be it for him in the rotation if he doesn't give Los Angeles a chance to win. Erickson is 1-3 with a 7.26 ERA in six starts.

• Look who's perfect in Chicago: Dustin Hermanson, sharing closer duties with Shingo Takatsu for the White Sox, scooped up his sixth save in six chances Wednesday against Tampa Bay. Hermanson has not allowed a run in his first 16 1/3 innings this season. He's also held opponents to a .200 batting average, and enters the weekend as the only AL reliever who hasn't yielded a run.

• The Cubs bullpen should come with Advil. Not only have Cubs relievers blown five saves in 10 opportunities, closer Joe Borowski is still rehabbing from a broken wrist, Chad Fox, who was going to be a temporary solution, blew out his elbow after collecting just one save and Ryan Dempster, the latest solution, was drilled in the forearm by a Mike Piazza line drive on Wednesday. Right-hander Michael Wuertz is expected to be the closer if one is needed Friday in Washington while Dempster heals.

• In a perfect world, the Cubs were going to get Borowski back by this weekend, but you know how often the world is perfect. Instead, GM Jim Hendry indicates that Borowski needs more rehab time on his assignment in Triple-A Iowa.

• Tough enough start for Al Leiter in Florida that there are beginning to be questions as to what will happen when Ismael Valdez returns from the disabled list. Obviously, Dontrelle Willis, Josh Beckett and A.J. Burnett are locked into the rotation. Brian Moehler has pitched well. And given Leiter's struggles -- 1-3, 6.67 ERA, 20 walks in 29 2/3 innings -- the Marlins may have to make some hard decisions soon.

• Somebody's gotta step up with Barry Bonds out, and it figures it would be St. Louis' Albert Pujols. With nine homers, Pujols is ahead of his 46-homer pace from last season, when he didn't slug his ninth until May 20.

• Cleveland leadoff batters since from April 27 through midweek: .115 (7-for-61) with two runs scored. After bumping Coco Crisp down the lineup, manager Eric Wedge has used Ronnie Belliard, Alex Cora, Grady Sizemore and Casey Blake in the leadoff slot.

• Add Cleveland: Not surprisingly given that development, Wedge has used 29 different lineups -- and counting -- through 33 games.

• The new M&M boys: With Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris but a fond memory, meet Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer, the Twins' candy-coated sluggers. The two combined to go 12-for-19 (.632) against Tampa Bay over the weekend with two homers apiece, a four-hit game apiece and 12 combined RBI.

• The Mets bullpen is so bad that they're hoping Scott Strickland soon will help. And Strickland essentially has missed each of the past two seasons following Tommy John ligament replacement surgery. He's 0-1 with a 1.42 ERA in six games at Triple-A Norfolk.

• Brendan Donnelly, an All-Star two years ago, hasn't gotten as much work as planned this season because Scot Shields has been so good for the Angels. Shields, who manager Mike Scioscia has called the Angels' most valuable pitcher of 2004, is 3-1 with a 1.37 ERA.

• The Angels placed sore-elbowed Kelvim Escobar on the disabled list Thursday, but catcher Bengie Molina is expected to re-join the lineup Friday in Detroit.

• Los Angeles will activate closer Eric Gagne this weekend.

• Why did Florida's A.J. Burnett request an autograph from Roger Clemens after the Houston ace beat Burnett 2-1 Monday for Clemens' 330th career win? "I figure I ought to get something in return if I was No. 330," Burnett quipped.

• The Cubs bullpen has been shaky, but first baseman Derrek Lee is roaring. With 10 home runs already, Lee is on pace to collect a career-high 49 homers and 162 RBI. He has already collected 22 percent of Chicago's 45 homers, and his league-leading 33 RBI account for 23 percent of the Cubs' total of 146.

• Dewon Brazelton may have flamed out and been demoted by Tampa Bay to Triple-A Durham, but Tampa Bay's No. 9 hitters have combined for a major-league high nine homers. Small victories.

• Comeback kids: San Diego has won 10 of its past 13 games heading into a homestand against Florida and Atlanta that begins on Friday, and most impressively, the Padres have overcome deficits in each of their past eight victories.

• Luis Rivas is out and Nick Punto is in at second base for Minnesota. "Punto's playing the best right now," manager Ron Gardenhire told Minnesota reporters. "I'm still going to mix it up the best I can. And if he goes out there and starts really struggling, I'll run Louie back out there."

• It never stops: Now Jack McKeon, the game's most beloved senior citizen, has received an honorary doctorate from Barry University in Miami. McKeon spoke to the students wearing a cap and gown for the very first time. "I looked pretty good," he quipped. He also greeted reporters following last Saturday's game wearing a white smock. "You guys take two aspirin, drink lots of fluid and get plenty of rest," McKeon advised.

• Will Carroll, medical expert who writes for the highly respected Baseball Prospectus, has an eagerly anticipated book out Friday called The Juice: The Real Story of Baseball's Drug Problems.