Nomo, Brewers Tame Tigers

Geoff Jenkins had never faced Brian Moehler before, so he watched a little videotape before Sunday's game with Detroit. It was a good move.

Jenkins hit a two-run homer and Hideo Nomo had another strong outing to lead the Milwaukee Brewers to a 3-2 win over the Tigers.

"I'm not a slave to videotape, but since it was the first time I'd ever seen him, it was valuable," Jenkins said. "It gave me an idea of where he likes to throw the ball. He's the kind of pitcher where you just want to see the ball and drive it up the middle."

"That was another gutsy performance," Brewers manager Phil Garner said. "He didn't have his best stuff, but he battled out there. He constantly continues to amaze me. He's so tough, and he really competes out there."

Nomo, who has won six of his last seven decisions, improved to 2-0 in interleague play.

Bob Wickman, Milwaukee's fifth pitcher, worked the ninth for his 18th save in 20 chances. Luis Polonia and Brad Ausmus walked with one out, and Bobby Higginson's fly to deep center advanced the potential tying run to third, but Dean Palmer hit a game-ending groundout.

"My matchups didn't work out today," Garner said. "Wickman should have been perfect against a hitter like Polonia. Instead he walks him. Boy, that's not the way to start the ninth inning. But, we got out of it."

Brian Moehler (7-9), trying to win his third straight decision, allowed all three runs in seven innings, but just one was earned. He gave up six hits, struck out four and walked three.

With two outs in the second, Marquis Grissom reached when his hot shot to third bounced off Palmer's chest for an error. It proved costly as Jenkins connected on a 1-1 count for his 14th homer, a drive off the facing of the second deck in right.

"Mo threw pretty well," said Ausmus, who will reresent the Tigers in the All-Star game Tuesday. "It left that one pitch up to Jenkins and it cost him the ballgame."

Detroit got one back on an RBI double by Deivi Cruz in the second and tied it at 2 on Tony Clark's sacrifice fly with bases loaded in the third. Nomo then got Damion Easley on an infield grounder and struck out Juan Encarnacion.

"I wasn't looking for a strikeout," Nomo said through an interpreter. "I just wanted to keep the ball in play, make them hit it right to somebody."

Grissom singled in the fourth and scored on a two-out RBI single by Brian Banks.

Moehler pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh.

"That was tremendous," Ausmus said. "But I could tell in the dugout that he was drained by that. It made sense to let C.J. (Nitkowski) start the next inning."

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