MILWAUKEE _ Mr. Consistency keeps coming through.
Travis Shaw, who was the Milwaukee Brewers' most valuable player during a steady and productive first half, delivered in the clutch again Saturday night with an eighth-inning homer that gave his streaking club a 3-2 victory over Philadelphia at Miller Park.
It was the 11th triumph in the last 13 games for the first-place Brewers, who moved a season-high 11 games over .500. They remain 5{ games ahead of Chicago in the National League Central.
It was evident early on that Brewers starter Jimmy Nelson once again was on top of his game. He struck out five batters over the first two innings, allowing only a harmless double to Cameron Rupp with two down in the second.
Phillies starter Aaron Nola also came out showing he meant business. Eric Thames sliced an opposite-field double to left with one out in the first, but Nola shook that off and the pitching duel was on.
Philadelphia finally broke through for a run in the fifth, but it took a helping hand from Nelson to do it. With one down, Rupp drew a walk and Nick Williams stroked an opposite-field single to left.
Nelson then uncorked a low-and-inside curveball that catcher Stephen Vogt couldn't handle, and the runners moved up on the wild pitch. That's all it took to set up a sacrifice fly to right by Ty Kelly, giving the Phillies a 1-0 lead.
The Brewers came right back to tie it in the bottom of the inning. Jonathan Villar, showing signs of finally getting going at the plate, took a back-door curveball the other way to left for a two-out single, swiped second and scored on Thames' double to center _ a drive high off the wall that barely missed going out.
Leading off the bottom of the sixth, Hernan Perez did not miss. Nola did not get a 1-0 fastball inside enough, and Perez turned on it and drove it out to left for his 11th homer and a 2-1 lead.
The Phillies replied in kind in the seventh with one out. Odubel Herrera reached out and got enough of a 2-1 curveball from Nelson to yank it out to right field and tie the game 2-2.
Shaw's homer snapped that tie and the Brewers bullpen came through again. Corey Knebel took care of the ninth, recording his 16th save and extending his major-league record to 45 consecutive games with at least one strikeout.
