One day after being humiliated on national television by a 14-1 score, the Pittsburgh Pirates responded well and beat the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night by a final of 8-4.
Alfonso Rivas led the Bucs with three hits and three RBIs, while Bryan Reynolds and Henry Davis knocked in a pair of runs as well, helping their team to a much-needed victory over their divisional foes.
Quinn Priester and Colin Rea started for their respective clubs, but neither made it past four innings. Priester gave up three runs on five hits with three walks and three strikeouts, while Rea gave up six runs on eight hits. Yerry De Los Santos earned the win for Pittsburgh, his first of the season.
Rivas gave the Bucs an early lead when he belted a three-run homerun to left center field in the first inning. Carlos Santana’s RBI single and Sal Frelick’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the inning brought the Brewers back to within a run at 3-2.
Reynolds’ double in the top of the second was followed later by Davis’s two-run homerun, his fifth of the season, putting the Pirates in front, 6-2.
Santana’s solo homerun to right center field in the bottom of the fifth, his 14th of the year, made it 6-3, but Josh Palacios answered for Pittsburgh in the sixth with a solo homerun of his own to make it a four-run lead once again. Reynolds connected on his 13th homerun of the season later in the sixth inning, and despite a Mark Canha single that scored the Brewers’ fourth run of the game in the seventh, it was too little, too late.
This was a nice response by this young Pirates’ team. Games like Thursday night will happen unfortunately during the course of a long season. But it was nice to see them put it behind them, and they came out and played tonight like they wanted to win.
The Pirates and Brewers will meet back up for the third game of their four-game weekend series on Saturday evening. Bailey Falter will be on the bump for Pittsburgh against Corbin Burnes for Milwaukee.
Record vs. Brewers: 2-6
Record vs. N.L. Central: 12-16
Record on the Road: 23-32
Overall Record: 49-60
And…
As Always…
Let’s Go Bucs!
