During the early part of the season, both the Milwaukee Brewers and the Pittsburgh Pirates sat as the two top-tier teams in the NL Central division. Now these two teams face each other for the second time this season in a three-game series with Milwaukee continuing their homestand. Last night, the Brewers needed a win to distance themselves from the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central standings. However, the Pirates five runs in the last three innings of this matchup prevailed Pittsburgh to an 8-6 win.
Milwaukee stands at 24-17, first in the NL Central by a half a game. Pittsburgh is now 19-23 after last night’s win. The Pirates are five and a half games back from the Brewers for first place in the division. While the Brewers look to extend their time on top of the NL Central, the Pirates are looking to return to .500 and prove to the baseball world they can be a playoff team in 2024.
Milwaukee Brewers Demoralizing 8-6 Loss to the Pirates
At the top of the first inning, four batters into the game, Pirates left fielder Jack Suwinski mashed a two-run home run into right field to give Pittsburgh the early lead. Brewers first baseman Rhys Hoskins injured his hamstring running to first base after hitting a single in the bottom of the second. Hopefully, Hoskins can return from this injury as soon as possible to help the Brewers pull into a sizable lead within the division. In the next half inning, Pirates right fielder Bryan Reynolds smashed an RBI double down the right field line to give Pittsburgh a 3-0 lead.
Both Teams Score A Bunch in the Latter Half
During the top of the seventh inning, Pirates designated hitter Andrew McCutchen ripped an RBI single down the left field line. Two batters later shortstop Oneil Cruz hit an RBI single into right field, giving the Pirates a 5-0 lead. Then in the bottom half of the seventh, Brewers shortstop Willy Adames finally got his team on the scoreboard when he cracked a two-run double near the right field wall. Pittsburgh extended their lead to 7-2 in the next half inning when catcher Yasmani Grandal obliterated a two-run home run to right field.
With the bases loaded, Jake Bauers crushed a grand slam to right field cutting Milwaukee’s deficit and making this game interesting as the Brewers now trailed 7-6. Bryan Reynolds hit a solo home run in the ninth, giving Pittsburgh an 8-6 lead, and an eventual win as the Brewers could not get anything going in the bottom half of the ninth.
Top Performers from the Brewers 8-6 Loss
Pirates starting pitcher Mitch Keller pitched six innings allowing just eight hits while striking out seven. Bryan Reynolds went five for five with two RBIs. He set a new career-high with his five-hit game in the win. Brewers starting pitcher Colin Rea pitched six innings allowing three runs on six hits, and a walk while striking out five. Jake Bauers went two for four with his four RBIs from his huge grand slam. Hopefully, the Brewers can bring more of a fight tonight during game two of this series.
