Brewers Score In Two Innings Out of 15; It's Enough To Snatch A Brutal 7-6 Victory From The Bucs

Gregory dropped a check-swing bloop into center with two outs and Freeser banged one up the middle before Wade Miley whiffed Cervy. Lorenzo Cain bounced Joe Musgrove's first pitch over the wall for a ground rule double, then Christian Yelich took the next toss yard. Big Joe got two tosses before a single was added to the line, and every ball has been smoked. Mike Moustakas clubbed one into the RF stands before Eric Kratz fanned; five of the seven batters hit the ball 98 MPH (three at 103+) or harder. Starling got bopped to start the second and Kevin Newman singed with an out for his first MLB hit, taking second on the throw. Fraze broke his bat, but the two-out flare plated  *hallelujah* two runs. J-Grove rallied to toss a clean frame. Gregory opened the third with a rap and Cervy singled an out later. A roller moved them up, but they died, stranding more ducks on the pond. The Brew Crew went down without a peep, tho the Bucs chirped a little when Gregory and Starling bumped (Marte called it) while corralling a fly and had a little chat after the encounter. Fraze and Eli singled with two gone (one out on a nice diving stop by Moustakas at 3B) in the fourth to no avail.

Big Joe got off to a terrible start (photo Pirates/MLB)

The Brewers hit the ball hard, with two finding grass before Miley's bunt bid for a hit ended it. Starling legged out a gentle roller with two gone in the fifth and Hechy's line-hugger double moved him to third. Miley worked around Newman, walking him to jam the bases for Big Joe. J-Bell batted for him and K'ed on four pitches. The Pirates have had two runners aboard every frame so far with 10 runners LOB. Ric Rod gave up a lead off knock, but a 4-6-3 DP and whiff quickly restored order. Lefty Josh Hader took the bump in the sixth and Fraze started it off with a two-bagger. A fly moved him along and another by Gregory sent him home to trim the lead to a run. Ryan Braun dinked a one-out quail and Eric Kratz bounced one into left with two away before a pop ended it. Two whiffs and a pop made for a quiet Pirates seventh. Edgar Santana plunked a Crew batter with an out, but followed with a 6-3 twin killing to close it down. Joakim Soria got the eighth inning call against his old mates and struck out the side. Keone Kela walked a guy between two K's, followed by another free pass; ball four was a wild pitch that put Brewskis on the corners, but another whiff took it to the ninth.

Jeremy Jeffress answered the call. Gregory broke a 5-of-6 K streak by the Buccos by lining a 3-2 splitter off 1B Jesus Aguilar's mitt. A tapper moved him to second and Cervy, who like Gregory, waited Jeffress out to draw a walk. Starling also ran the count full - some excellent at bats this inning - and ripped a fastball up the middle to tie the game. Red Beard batted for Hechy and went down on three pitches. Felipe Vazquez took the hill. With an out, Cervy couldn't pick a low but accurate throw, earning Newman, now at short, an error after he had made a nice grab of a rocket. Felipe shrugged it off and kept the score tied. Newman singled off Taylor Williams to open the 10th and was bunted to second. Fraze was walked intentionally. Eli ran the count to 3-0 and had the green light; he drilled a fat heater that was tracked down a step from the fence by Cain. Southpaw Dan Jennings took the ball to deal with Gregory and lost him four pitches. Matt Albers took over to face Freeser and got him to bounce out. With two outs, Braun was late on a heater but fought it off to bounce a single to right; Felipe left him there.

Starling kept the Bucs alive (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Corbin Burnes took the ball in the 11th. Starling singled with an out and swiped second, challenged with no luck by the Brewers. The last man on the bench, S-Rod, grabbed a bat and K'ed as did Newman behind him. Steven Brault answered the bell (we assume Kyle Crick is out today) and tossed a clean frame. J-Hay got aboard on a boot to open the 12th and Fraze bounced into a 4-6-3 DP; (kinda hoping the Bucs were over that) to kill the frame. Cain walked to lead off; Steven has faced four batters and had three balls on three of them. But he cruised out with a comebacker DP and strikeout. It was 1-2-3 for the Pirates in the 13th and for Milwaukee, as Brault survived a warning track shot by Braun. Jordan Lyles, the Brewers last pitcher, was in for the 14th and walked Newman with two away without harm. Jonathan Shoop drew a two-out walk; the ump squeezed Steven pretty tight (he can be excused; he's been looking at a lot of pitches) and it led to nothing. Eli doubled with one away in the 15th and Gregory was intentionally walked. With two gone, Cervy's Texas Leaguer to right dropped between two Brewers, sending both runners home with help from some ball mishandling by Milwaukee. Starling was walked before it was over.

Felipe and the pen tossed zeros until the bitter end (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Clay Holmes toeing the rubber, looking for his first MLB save. Nothing's easy; he walked a guy with an out, followed by a wild pitch and another walk. Clay fanned Braun, then walked the pitcher, Lyles, who was batting for the second time this year as the Brewer bench was empty. Kratz banged a two-strike cutter just past a diving Newman and it was tied. Another single ended it.

This was a stolen game by the Brew Crew. A two-run lead and the pitcher up... This loss was brutal, even during a streak of tight defeats. Kyle Crick was out after being smacked by a liner in his last outing, leaving Clint with the last-inning option of Brault tossing with a pitch count of 58 or Holmes. Ah, for the gift of hindsight...

Notes:

• Fraze, Gregory and Starling each had three raps. The Pirates had 17 hits but stranded 19 runners and went 3-for-17 w/RISP.
• Every player, except for the starting pitchers and Crick, were used in tonight's game. There were 29 hits and 33 K's by the two teams.
• The Pirates sent Corey Dickerson, Colin Moran, J-Bell, J-Hay and S-Rod to pinch hit. Harrison bunted successfully; the other four struck out, two of them on three pitches and the other two on four offerings. J-Hay stayed in, although he was still moving gingerly; hopefully he doesn't aggravate his hammy.
• It took 46 innings for the Pirates to put up multiple runs in a frame. (s/o to @PiratesTalk)
• Jordy, out with a bum calf, is supposed to begin baseball activities after the weekend.