The Pittsburgh Pirates have now lost five straight games after a 7-4 defeat to the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night.
Eleven walks doomed the Pirates as their pitching staff struggled with control. Starter Chase De Jong walked four batters, while Clay Holmes and Trevor Cahill walked four and three respectively. Overall, it was another lackluster performance from this team, and the Brewers took advantage of the miscues and the pitchers’ control issues.
The Pirates took the lead in the top of the second inning on a solo homerun by Ben Gamel. That lead didn’t last long, though, as the Brewers scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning. A single by Jackie Bradley tied the game, and a sacrifice bunt by Brandon Woodruff scored their second run.
A solo homerun by Gregory Polanco tied the game in the sixth inning, but once again, Milwaukee responded for five runs in the seventh to break the game open. A double by Christian Yelich scored two runs to break the tie, and then came the control issues. Three straight walks with the bases loaded scored three runs to make it 7-2.
A two run homerun by Ke’Bryan Hayes in the eighth inning made it a 7-4 score, but in the end, the walks were too much for this team to overcome.
This was a disappointing way to kick off this road trip. The Pirates have not been able to put together a consistent string of quality baseball. They continue to slide on these losing streaks and cannot find a way to put some quality performances together on the field. The current streak is now at five games, and they will need to clean up their play in all facets of the game if they want it to end.
Record vs. Brewers: 2-2
Record vs. N.L. Central: 7-20
Record on the Road: 10-20
Overall Record: 23-39
And…
As Always…
Let’s Go Bucs!
