[BirdWatcher]

The Brewers visit the brand new Phoenix Municipal Stadium for the first time as they take on the Speed Devils in a 4-game series. Phoenix Municipal holds up to 38,400 fans and profiles as a very good hitters park.

Game 1 goes to the home team, 5-3. Steve Green, off to a very disappointing start, allows all 5 runs on 6 hits (3 of them home runs) over 6 innings pitched and falls to 1-4 with a 4.18 ERA. Bobby Erbakan (.333/.412/.486) gets half of the Brewers 6 hits, going 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored.

The Brewers get a narrow 4-3 victory in the second game, largely on the strength of the slugging of rightfielder Antonio Puente. Puente (.211/.311/.378), off to a very poor start at the plate, clubbed 2 HR's in the game to raise his season total to 4, and drove in 3 runs. Cheol-han Lee had a solid start- 7 IP, 3 R, 9 H, 3 K, 1 BB- but did not figure in the decision. The win went to reliever Jose de los Santos who is now 2-3 with a 2.25 ERA.

In game 1 of the Thursday afternoon double-header, the Brewers edged out the Speed Devils 2-1. In a great pitcher's duel all the scoring on both sides came in the 8th inning. Young lefty Matt Helm was superb for the Brewers, working 7 1/3rd innings, giving up just 1 run on 5 hits while striking out a pair and walking a pair. Helm improves to 2-1 with a 2.20 ERA and is making a strong case for inclusion in the rotation. The big hit in the game was a 2-out triple off the bat of Pat Rondeau (.313/.326/.406), his 4th three-bagger of the season. Rondeau went 2 for 4 in the game and continues to be one of the better hitters on the club in 1972.

The Speed Devils won easily in the second game of the double-header, 8-1, as veteran lefty Daniel Torres allowed 4 runs (3 earned) over just 5 innings pitched while walking 4 and striking out 2. Torres drops to 2-4 with a 4.01 ERA. Reliever Jaden Francis pitched the final 3 innings and continued his recent struggles- allowing 4 runs (3 earned) on 5 hits (2 of them HR's) and sees his ERA balloon to 7.07. Rookie Joe McPhillips, who has often looked over-matched at the WPK level this season, once again had one of those games where his great talent was on display, as he went 3 for 4, hitting his 5th double and 3rd HR of the season. Most impressively, McPhillips (.241/.305/.494), a left-handed batter, did all of this against the tough lefty veteran, Joey Brown.