The Pittsburgh Pirates’ struggles against the Milwaukee Brewers continued on Friday night, losing by a 4-3 score in the first game of their weekend series.
The Bucs battled hard, but came up just short against their divisional opponents. Willy Adames was the hero for Milwaukee, hitting a homerun while also throwing out Kevin Newman at home plate in the top of the ninth inning to end the game.
JT Brubaker started for Pittsburgh, giving up three runs on five hits with six strikeouts and five walks. Aaron Ashby was on the bump for the Brewers, giving up two runs on three hits in five innings. Josh Hader earned his 26th save of the season, despite giving up a run on two hits in the ninth inning.
Milwaukee scored the game’s first run on a single by Keston Hiura in the second inning. The Bucs took the lead in the fourth inning on a two run homerun by Diego Castillo. The long ball was his 10th of the season, scoring Bryan Reynolds to make it a 2-1 score.
The Brewers took the lead right back in the bottom half of the inning with a pair of runs. A triple by Kolten Wong scored Andrew McCutchen to tie the game, and a Jace Peterson single made it 3-2 in favor of Milwaukee.
Adames’ solo homerun in the bottom of the seventh turned out to be the difference in the game. His 17th HR of the season came in the seventh, making it a 4-2 game at the time.
The Pirates certainly did not go down quietly in the ninth, but did come up just short. With two outs, Daniel Vogelbach singled to right field, scoring Castillo. Newman was sent home as well, but the relay from McCutchen to Adames to Victor Caratini was on point to end the game.
This was a bit of a heartbreaker for Pittsburgh. They have seemingly lost every possible way to the Brewers, no matter how hard they play. They will now look to rebound quickly and even this series up when they take the field on Saturday. Zach Thompson will take the mound for Pittsburgh against Brandon Woodruff for Milwaukee.
Record vs. Brewers: 2-9
Record vs. N.L. Central: 16-27
Record on the Road: 14-27
Overall Record: 34-50
And…
As Always…
Let’s Go Bucs!
