Pirates-Brewers: Pirate Pitching Still Stuck in 2008

Milwaukee, Apr. 28—Once again, the Pirate batters mustered five runs but it was not enough to overcome what the Pirate pitchers gave up to the Brewers.

Dave Bush (1-0) helped the Pirates get things started early, hitting Sanchez in the left hand on a high and inside.  Bush has hit three batters on the year. 

Left hitting Brandon Moss got the start in the game; he singled in his first at bat, moving Sanchez over to third. Adam LaRoche then reached on a fielder’s choice as Sanchez was thrown out at home.  Hinske popped out to end the inning.

The best in the rotation, Paul Maholm, (3-0, 2.03) took the mound to try to get his fourth win in as many tries in April.  Maholm is zero-for-five in his last seven appearances against the Brewers.  In the bottom of the first, with one out, Corey Hart doubled to left. Ryan Braun then singled to right, scoring Hart; Hinske’s throw to the plate was late. 

Prince Fielder then grounded right back to Maholm who threw to second, double to first, to end the inning—Brewers 1-0.

In the second, with one out, Jason Jaramillo drew a walk.  Brian Bixler, who struck out four times in last night’s game, reached on a broken bat infield single, just beating the throw to first.  Maholm then bunt-sacrificed the runners to second and third.  Then Nyjer Morgan grounded out to end the inning.

In the third, Sanchez and Moss opened with a pair of singles.  A long at bat by Adam LaRoche pushed Bush’s pitch count up before popping out to left. 

The Brewers were hoping that he would make it into at least the sixth inning with the bullpen already stretched thin. 

Wisconsonite Erik Hinske then came up and doubled down the left field line, rolling to the wall, scoring Sanchez and Moss. 

LaRoche and Jaramillo were retired to end the inning—Pirates 2-1.  Bush’s pitch count was at 64 after three.

In the bottom of the inning, with one out, Ricky Weeks singled to left, then Hart and Braun were walked to load the bases with two.  Fielder, who does not hit lefties well, has a real opportunity, but he flied out to the left field warning track to end the threat.  The Braves had runners at the corners with two outs and the wild McClellan was done for the night, giving up two runs on a hit and three walks in two-thirds of an inning.

Bixler got things started in the fourth with a double.  Maholm followed with a sacrifice to move Bixler over to third, and Morgan sacrificed him home.

On the slide in to home Bixler’s lead foot slid into Mike Rivera’s, injuring the catcher, who left the game before the next inning.  The Pirates, playing economic baseball, were able to manufacture a run, making it 3-1 after four. 

In the bottom of the inning, Hardy walked and Hall singled to center to put a couple of runners aboard.  Bush then got his second career walk to load the bases for Weeks, but Maholm got him to pop out in foul territory to leave the bases loaded for the second time in two innings.  Maholm’s pitch count was just south of 80 at the end of four.

In the fifth, the problem with hit batters continues in the series with Bush hitting Hinske and Andy LaRoche, consecutively.  Jaramillo followed with a two-out two-RBI double to make it 5-1.  Bixler grounded out to end the inning.

In the bottom of the inning, Hart started off drawing a walk and Braun followed with a broken-bat double that just fell fair, scoring the run.  Fielder then grounded out to first, Braun to third.  Cameron then grounded out to short, and Braun scored from third—Pirates 5-3.

Despite his giving up three runs on five hit and five walks, and with a pitch count near 100, the Pirates chose not to pinch hit for Maholm, keeping him in to pitch the bottom of the sixth.  It might have been a mistake, as Hall hit a lead-off solo home run.  Maholm has given up one home run on the year. Counsell then followed with a single, a bullet to Sanchez, and Maholm got pulled for Jesse Chavez. Weeks followed with a two run homer—Brewers 6-5.  Hart then reached on an infield singled, still with only one out. Braun flied out to center and John Russel pulled Chaves for a lefty reliever in Sean Burnett.  Burnett struck out fielder to end the inning.

The Pirates could not get anything going the rest of the way and 6-5 was the final score.  The Bucs finished with five runs on seven hits and an error, while the brewers got six runs on nine hits and an error.

The Pirates fall to 11-9 while the Brewers improve to 10-10.  The Pirates, Cubs, Reds, and Brewers are now all within a game of each other in the National League Central.

The Pirates play the third game in the series in Milwaukee tomorrow at 1:05, and then they have a day off before they play three against Cincinnati in Pittsburgh. 

It has not been decided whether Pittsburgh and Cincinnati will try to make up their one game that was postponed for rain.  Yovani Gallardo (2-1) will be on the mound for Milwaukee and Ian Snell (1-2) for the Pirates.