Game Recap - Giants 4, Brewers 5

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Although Manny Parra's bid to make the starting rotation appeared to be falling apart toward the end of spring training, the Milwaukee Brewers decided to give him a shot anyway.

It looked like a wise move Saturday, as Parra earned his first major league victory with a breakout performance in Milwaukee's 5-4 win over the San Francisco Giants.



Brewers manager Ned Yost said the team wrote off Parra's shaky performance near the end of exhibition play as a young player showing some nerves as he tried to secure a spot on the team.

"There is some pressure there, and you do press, and you don't do what comes naturally," Yost said. "And what he does naturally is really, really good."

The 25-year-old left-hander looked like a natural on the mound Saturday, holding the Giants hitless through five innings before giving up a pair of runs in the sixth and leaving the game with a 3-2 lead.

The Giants scored another two runs off the Brewers' bullpen in the final three innings, but late-inning homers from Ryan Braun and Gabe Kapler helped Milwaukee hold the lead.

Kapler came out of retirement after managing in Boston's farm system last year.

"When he came to spring training, you could see real quick, this guy still had game left in him," Yost said.



The Brewers will try for a three-game series sweep of the Giants on Sunday.

Parra gave up a leadoff triple to Eugenio Velez to start the sixth, ending his no-hit bid. Velez then scored on a passed ball by catcher Mike Rivera, and Parra gave up a double to Randy Winn. Ray Durham singled in Winn and Yost pulled Parra in favor of reliever David Riske.

Parra, who threw a perfect game for the Brewers' Triple-A affiliate in Nashville last year, realized he had the early makings of a no-hitter but wasn't fixating on it.

Read the full recap at ESPN