Jenkins Powers Brewers, 9-4

Geoff Jenkins hit two home runs Thursday night to back Ben Sheets as the Milwaukee Brewers overcame a four-run deficit to defeat the Cleveland Indians, 9-4.

The Brewers took two of three in the series.

“Not bad for a mediocre Central Division ballclub as some of your announcers say,” said Milwaukee Manager Davey Lopes. “I hate to see what we’d have done if we were a good ballclub.”

Jenkins sparked the Brewers’ 17-hit outburst with a solo homer in the fourth inning and a three-run shot, his 13th home run of the season, during a five-run fifth.

“I hit a split and a changeup,” Jenkins said. “We were looking for pitches up in the zone.”

The Brewers got plenty of those from Charles Nagy (1-1) to take a 6-4 lead in the fifth.

Richie Sexson followed Jenkins with a 465-foot blast into the Indians’ bullpen for his 11th homer--and first in 62 at-bats since May 24.

“I let Richie get his arms extended and if you do that he is just going to crush it,” Nagy said. “I left pitches up the entire inning.”

Jim Thome hit his 19th homer for Cleveland, a 414-foot shot to center to make the score 4-0 in the third. It was his 13th homer in 18 games.

Sheets (7-4) settled down after giving up four runs in the first three innings to win his third consecutive decision. He gave up four runs and nine hits in six innings.