Brew Crew Shut Off As Cole, Cutch & Bucs Roll to 8-1 Victory

Gerrit Cole and Matt Garza exchanged clean opening frames, a good thing for Cole Train who has been bitten hard and often in the first. In the second, the Bucs again went quietly but another Cole issue reared it's head; Travis Shaw went deep. The Bucs got a walk and a knock from Fran and J-Hay to start the third. They were bunted along and scored on Fraze's knock. Jordy barely beat the rap; a nice slide-by got him the call. The Pirates got two more aboard to load the bases with two gone, but J-Bell's bouncer (on what looked like ball four) ended the music. The Crew went down 1-2-3. Each club left a duck on the pond in the fourth and the fifth was six-up, six-down. The Pirates got a couple in the sixth when Freeser singled and Cutch happened; Andrew's long ball also swapped out Garza for Wily Peralta who stopped the party. Milwaukee got a single and passed ball (Fran's second; he and Gerrit must not always get the same memo) but a couple of K's kept the Cole Train rollin'.

Cole Train is pickin' up steam (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Pittsburgh broke big in the seventh. Gerrit singled, Fraze walked, then J-Hay and Gregory banged doubles (El Coffee's later changed to 1B/E7; the LF'er tripped over himself charging the ball). Freeser and Cutch singled and another run crossed the dish as Wily got a reprieve and Paolo Espinosa came on. He got a GIDP a few batters late with the Bucs now up 8-1. Gerrit celebrated the big seventh with a seven-pitch frame. The Pirates calmed down in the eighth. Jhan Marinez got himself into a second-and-third jam and then worked out of it. The Bucs left a couple on ice in the ninth and the Brew Crew stranded one more as Pittsburgh cruised home.

It's great news to see Gerrit back in form; he's shut down two of the NL's big bangers in the Brewers and Rox. And no one has to worry about Cutch's value anymore. This was a nice bounce back after a disappointing Chicago series. But they have a ways to go yet; the club is still six games under .500 although just four games behind The Crew and the Cubs in the loss column.

Notes:

• Cutch had two hits, including a homer and three RBI, Freeser had two knocks and a walk, Gregory rapped out a pair, and Fraze & Fran had a hit and free pass. Fraze plated a pair of runs and seven different Buccos scored.
• Holy Moly - Pittsburgh was 5-of-9 w/RISP; the home-run-or-no-count Brewers were 0-for-9.
• Jordy extended his hitting streak to nine games.
• Jim Callis of MLB.com reported that seventh-round pick Jared Oliva, an Arizona OF'er, signed w/Pirates for $200K, his slot value.