PHILADELPHIA -- It was only a matter of time.
As the Brewers' 2008 season looked to be spinning out of control in September, they had at least one glimmer of hope because CC Sabathia seemed impervious to the meltdown surrounding him.
His time came Thursday night.
Making his fourth consecutive start on short rest, Sabathia fell apart, allowing five runs on six hits in 3 2/3 innings of work as the Brewers fell, 5-2, to the Phillies in Game 2 of the National League Division Series at Citizens Bank Park.
"It's frustrating," Sabathia said. "I had some opportunities to get out of some innings and get out of some at-bats when I needed to and I just didn't finish."
Sabathia allowed six hits, walked four and struck out five. All six of the hits went for extra bases, including Shane Victorino's two-out grand slam in the second. Sabathia worked out of a jam in the first inning, striking out Chase Utley and Ryan Howard to strand Victorino at third. In the second, the Phillies worked the count and did their damage.
He gave up back-to-back one-out doubles to Jayson Werth and Pedro Feliz, the latter trying the score at one before getting Carlos Ruiz to ground out to Prince Fielder. With two outs, Sabathia walked Phillies starter Brett Myers -- who hit just .058 in the regular season -- on nine pitches putting runners at first and second.
Sabathia loaded the bases on a four-pitch walk to Jimmy Rollins, setting the stage for Victorino's homer; a cutter inside on a 1-2 count.
"If I bounced that pitch or get it to his back foot where it needs to be, then it's a good pitch," Sabathia said.
He refused to attribute his performance to pitching for the fifth time in 17 days.
"I don't feel like starting on three days' rest had anything to do with it," he said. "I just think tonight I didn't make pitches when I needed do."
Myers became the latest pitcher to stifle what was once a prolific Milwaukee offense.
Less than a month after his two-hit complete game finished a Phillies sweep and dropped the Brewers into a tie in the Wild Card race, Myers stymied the slumping lineup.
He worked seven innings, holding the Brewers to two runs on two hits with four strikeouts and three walks. At one point, he retired 16 of the 17 batters. The only Brewer to reach base in that span was Corey Hart, who was hit by a pitch. Only twice - both in the second inning - did they hit the ball out of the infield.
The Brewers had an opportunity to jump on Myers early. Ray Durham drew a one-out walk in the first and moved to third on Ryan Braun's double. Myers intentionally walked Prince Fielder, loading the bases before Hardy's five-pitch walk scored Durham.
Corey Hart killed the rally, swinging at the first pitch and hitting into a double play that retired Braun at home.
"We had them on the ropes and he'd thrown about 14 balls out of the last 19 pitches," Sveum said. "Corey is a very aggressive hitter and unfortunately he hit a ground ball back to the pitcher and they were get able to get out of that inning.
"That was a turning point in the ballgame."
Milwaukee wouldn't reach again until the seventh, when Hardy led off with a double. He advanced to third when Hart flied out to right and scored on Craig Counsell's groundout to second to make it 5-2.
The Brewers put a runner in scoring position again in the eighth. Ryan Braun's two-out single put runners at first and third but Fielder hit a broken-bat shot to second to end the threat.
The Phillies now hold a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series, which resumes Saturday at Miller Park. Game 3 starts at 5:30 p.m. Dave Bush will face Philadelphia lefty Jamie Moyer.
