One team is in a fight for the post season, the other is fighting to stay out of the division basement. That was the storyline prior to the opener of a four-game series between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday night. Milwaukee showcased that fact for all nine innings, as they would go on to win 14-1.
Mitch Keller had another poor outing for Pittsburgh during his five innings on the mound. He would allow eight runs on nine hits with five strikeouts and three walks. The bullpen did not fare much better in three innings of work. Jose Hernandez gave up three runs on three hits with one strikeout in the sixth. Dauri Moreta allowed three runs on three hits with two walks an inning later. The best performance of the night came from Colin Holderman who kept the Brewers off the board in the ninth with a strikeout, a walk, and one hit allowed.
Milwaukee starter Adrian Houser pitched six innings, allowing one run on four this with five strikeouts and two walks. J.C. Mejia struck out four and walked two over two innings, while Andrew Chafin struck out one batter while working the ninth. That lone Pirates run came in the first inning when Alfonso Rivas scored on a Jack Suwinski ground out.
The Brewers plated runs in five of the eight innings their offense came to the plate. They scored two runs in the first, and three runs in innings two, five, six, and seven. Leading the way for them offensively was Sal Frelick who drove in five runs, including a three-run home run in the sixth inning. Brice Turang would also go yard with a three-run home run of his own in the fifth.
A series opener could not get much uglier than it did tonight for Pittsburgh. As a fan I do not expect them to win each night, but they must do better than this if they want to give us any hope of a turnaround in 2024. Game two of this series will take place on Friday night with Quinn Priester squaring off against Colin Rea. First pitch is slated for 8:10pm.
Record vs. Brewers: 1-6
Record vs. N.L. Central: 11-16
Record on the Road: 22-31
Overall Record: 48-60
And…
As Always…
Let’s Go Bucs!
