Chris Narveson threw a clean first, getting McCutch on a bouncer and Tabata and Walker on a pair of fairly deep but non-threatening flies. Jeff Karstens had a rougher time, but still put up a zero.
Ricky Weeks bounced a single into center to open. Craig Counsell and Ryan Braun both centered up on balls, but ended up with line outs. Brauns should have been a DP, but Walker's throw to first was high; the runner was between him and the bag. Prince Fielder walked, but JK caught Casey McGehee looking.
With one away in the second, Diaz grounded a single into left. An Overbay force out and Pedro K ended the frame. Mark Kotsay led off with a single - letting the lead off man reach is not a good trend - and stole second, even though he was DOA according to replay, and brought Clint Hurdle out to debate a bit. The rest of the frame went routinely, so the call ended up being of no consequence.
The Bucs wasted a Karstens single and Tabata walk in the third; the Brew Crew went down in order. Overbay got aboard on a two-out boot in the fourth, and that was all the Bucco action.
The Brew Crew drew first blood. Prince Fielder homered to start the fourth, and Brandon Boggs followed suit with two away to give Milwaukee a 2-0 lead. The Bucs got a run back when Cedeno walked, went to third on a McCutch knock, and scored on a Tabata sac fly. Another walk set up Dewey, but he bounced out. For Milwaukee, Counsell doubled with two away, but was stranded.
The Bucs tried again in the sixth. With two outs, Pedro doubled and Ronny Cedeno drew an intentional walk. Steve Pearce pinch hit; he went down swinging at a knee-high 3-2 changeup. JK went five innings, giving up two runs on five hits with a walk and three Ks. Daniel McCutchen came on in relief.
With an out, McGehee singled to left. Kotsay lined one to center that McCutch had measured, but he misread the carry and the ball flew over head, putting runners at second and third. Boggs was walked intentionally, and the Brewers had the chance to break it open. But the first pitch to Jonathan Lucroy was stroked to Walker, and the 4-6-3 DP kept the Bucs alive.
LaTroy Hawkins came on and weathered a storm. McCutch doubled to lead off and Tabata walked. Walker hit one to second, and was doubled up on a bad call by Chris Conroy, one that got Clint Hurdle ejected. Dewey walked, but Diaz bounced weakly to third to end another inning of frustration.
Cory Hart doubled to start the inning. Ricky Weeks bounced one to short, and Cedeno went to third to get the lead runner; Pedro whiffed on the catch to put runners on the corners with no outs; that missed catch opened the floodgates. Joe Biemel jumped into the fire.
Counsell ran the squeeze play; Beimel made a nice grab and fired home. Replay showed that Dewey had the plate blocked off and that Hart never touched home, but he got a safe call. No use crying; he shouldn't have been at third to start with. Then Braun walked and Fielder dumped a single in front of Diaz.
Jose Veras came on, gave up a couple of hits, and when the smoke had cleared, it was 7-1 Brewers. It was an ugly inning, one of many played out at Miller Field.
The eighth saw a long ball trade. Overbay homered off Mitch Stetter; Braun went deep off Jose Ascanio. The Pirates put two more men on in the ninth, but left them. They stranded thirteen runners today.
Well, now at least Clint Hurdle has a first-hand look at the Bucco story in Milwaukee; whatever can can wrong, will. Tomorrow, Kevin Correia takes on Zack Greinke. It doesn't get any easier.
-- The Bucco record at Miller Park in the past 30 games: 22 straight losses, two consecutive wins, followed by an eight game losing streak.
-- The Milwaukee fans are even into it; Buc bad boy Ronny Cedeno was booed during introductions for tagging out Ricky Weeks last night.
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