Brewers blow 7-run lead, still win 13-12

Associated Press Sports

updated 9:11 p.m. ET July 3, 2012

MILWAUKEE (AP) - Aramis Ramirez turned expectation into reality.

Ramirez hit a two-out, two-run homer off Heath Bell in the bottom of the 10th inning to lift the Milwaukee Brewers to a 13-12 win over the Miami Marlins on Tuesday.

"When a guy throws that hard, all you got to do is hit it," said Ramirez, who also doubled in the third.

Down 9-2 in the seventh, the Marlins rallied and then took the lead in the 10th. Ramirez's sixth career game-ending homer wrecked Miami's comeback.

"He just squared up and hit it out," Bell said. "He hit it good."

Livan Hernandez (2-1) pitched the 10th and picked up the win despite giving up the go-ahead run. He struck out John Buck and retired Scott Cousins on a flyball before Jose Reyes homered into the second tier above the Marlins' bullpen in right.

Bell (2-4) came on in the bottom of the 10th looking for his 18th save in 22 chances. He had not allowed a run in his last 13 games against the Brewers.

Carlos Gomez drew a leadoff walk to begin the rally. With one out, Ryan Braun, who hit a three-run homer in a six-run sixth, struck out while Gomez stole second.

Ramirez followed with his home run as the Brewers matched a season high with a four-game winning streak.

"That would have a hard one to lose," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. "It was a hard one to win, it would have been really hard to lose."

The Brewers beat the Marlins for the 10th straight game.

"I feel bad for the other 24 guys," Bell said after his fifth blown save. "There's no worse feeling than letting your teammates down."

Justin Ruggiano, Logan Morrison, Buck and Cousins all homered for the Marlins, who scored nine runs off four relievers in the seventh and eighth innings after Milwaukee starter Marco Estrada held them in check and left with a 9-2 lead.

In the seventh, the Marlins chased Jose Veras with three runs, including Ruggiano's leadoff home run.

Then in the eighth, the Marlins batted around and scored six runs. Kameron Loe got just one out and allowed four runs, highlighted by Buck's two-run homer.

Francisco Rodriguez relieved Loe and allowed Cousins' homer. Reyes doubled, advanced on a throwing error and scored on Greg Dobbs' sacrifice fly to tie it at 11.

"We have to get our bullpen straightened out," Roenicke said. "I hope it's not their confidence is slipping a little bit because they can really pitch. We need to get it together."

The collapse cost Estrada his first win of the season. It was the right-hander's second start since coming off the disabled list with a right quadriceps strain.

He settled down after allowing two runs in the first inning. He gave up Donovan Solano's single and Morrison's two-run homer.

Estrada led off the Brewers' three-run third inning with a double, moved up on a single by Gomez and scored when Norichika Aoki singled.

Braun followed with a single before Ramirez lifted a high fly ball to deep center. Ruggiano deked Aoki into holding near second. When the ball bounced off the wall, Aoki sprinted toward third with Braun running full speed just a few steps behind. Aoki scored standing while Braun immediately slid in after him.

The Brewers added six runs in the sixth, highlighted by Braun's NL-leading 23rd home run and Corey Hart's solo shot off Miami starter Anibel Sanchez.

"Obviously, we were ready to celebrate, but we got punched in the stomach," Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen said.

NOTES: Hart's 16th home run was caught by Hernandez, who tracked the ball and snagged it in the Brewers bullpen. ... The game last 4 hours, 28 minutes. ... Miami 3B Hanley Ramirez was supposed to get the game off to rest his sore right knee. He came into the game in the bottom of the ninth.

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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