With an important potential sweep on the line in St. Louis -- a series that could have made a huge difference in the newly competitive NL wildcard race -- the Brewers were forced to finish Sunday's game without arguably two of their best players.
First baseman Corey Hart left the game after rounding second on a double and planting his left ankle awkwardly. On his way back to second, he was noticeably limping and left the game soon after with what's being called a "sprained left ankle". After the game, Hart wasn't convinced that he sprained it, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
And Ryan Braun, who's continued his MVP pace as of late, left the game soon after Hart with what Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said was a "strained wrist" -- an injury that he had been dealing with for some time, according to Roenicke.
Still, with two of the Brewers' best players out, Milwaukee made a stellar comeback in the top of the ninth inning, as right fielder Norichika Aoki hit a two-run home run with two outs, down to his final strike to tie up the game. The homer wouldn't be enough though, as the Brewers lost in the bottom of the 10th, 5-4.
It was a tough break for Milwaukee with the late loss, but Roenicke did have some good news, following the missed sweep opportunity.
"I don't think either one (of the injuries are) very serious, according to what they told me," Roenicke said. "And I went and talked to (athletic trainer) Dan (Wright), and he didn't think either one was serious."
However, Roenicke didn't seem very optimistic that either would be guaranteed to play in Monday's opener against the Braves -- another team in the thick of the NL wildcard hunt.
"I don't know about playing tomorrow," Roenicke said. "Corey's got some swelling there. Braunie, it's just going to have to be how he feels the next day."
Without Braun and Hart, the Brewers would be without two of their best top contributors on offense and defense. Hart was batting .278 with 27 home runs and 77 RBI after his two-hit game against the Cardinals, while Braun was batting .313 with 38 home runs and 100 RBI.
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