Once again Gallardo gets it done.

It had all the makings of a no-hitter. Great pitching, great defense. You could just feel it. It was in the fifth inning when I really began to notice the work Yovani Gallardo was doing. Right after Mark Kotsay made a jumping catch to end the fifth that not only kept the no-hitter going but also kept the Brewers in the lead. Oh how the game could have changed if Kotsay didn't catch the ball but baseball is a game of inches and Kotsay timed his jump just right to catch that ball. That's when it clicked in my head, Yovani Gallardo could seriously throw a no-hitter today.

A day after almost getting no-hit themselves it only seemed like some type of poetic justice that the Brewers do it to the Cardinals. But just like how the Cardinals fell short last night, Gallardo came up just short of history, but still gave the Brewers exactly what they needed today.

You can see a pattern forming in this Brewers season. Whenever the Brewers are in a major slump its Yovani Gallardo bailing them out with a much needed clutch pitching performance. It happened earlier in the season when the Brewers dropped the first four games of the season and it happened again today when they were currently on a seven game losing streak. Gallardo was on a pretty bad streak of his own and needed this just as much as the team needed him to do it. Once again Gallardo stepped up and shut down the Cardinals and although his no-hitter was broken up in the eighth, he still pitched amazing. The offense did its part adding an additional three runs in the top of the ninth to give Axford more breathing room to close out the game.

The thing with Gallardo was he looked like a whole new pitcher today, at least he looked more like classic Gallardo. With his new look pant legs rolled up he seemed to have more confidence. He attacked hitters, worked ahead in the count, sped up his pace and looked dominant and it showed. You knew that Gallardo wouldn't stay in the funk he was in for a very long time and this is a great sign for Brewer fans. It looks like Gallardo is back.

In a related note Justin Verlander threw a no-hitter and thanks to the powers of the internet I was able to watch it. I heard of Verlander's work when he finished his sixth inning still perfect so using the picture and picture ability of MLB.TV I began watching the game along with the Brewer game. As the game began to near its end my roommate started up his laptop and we began watching both games full screen at the same time. The Brewer game ended and Verlander was only two outs away from his second no-hitter. This is why I love being a fan in this day and age. With MLB.TV I am able to watch any game I want, and being the die-hard baseball fan I am I will not miss a chance to watch history. The only thing that would have made this event any cooler was if Gallardo threw a no-hitter as well because the games would have ended within five minutes of each other. I guess there is always next time.