The Pirates “welcomed” the Milwaukee Brewers into PNC Park on Wednesday and Thursday for the first time since their embarrassing series against their N.L. Central foes where they were outscored 36-1 in the three-game set.
Wednesday, May 19: The Pirates jumped on top early and came back late to take the first of the short two game set against the Brewers on Wednesday. Andy LaRoche got things going early in the 2nd with a sacrifice ground out to shortstop, scoring Ryan Doumit. Ronny Cedeno also sacrificed in the inning, scoring Steve Pearce.
After the Brew-Crew took a 4-3 lead going into the bottom of the 7th, the Buccos’ bats came alive again. Garrett Jones singled home Lastings Milledge, Doumit singled home Andrew McCutchen, and Pearce, who went 3-4 on the night, scored Jones. The Pirates’ closer Octavio Dotel picked up his 9th save, holding off the Brewers.
Brian Burres had a solid outing once again, lasting 6 innings while giving up 3 runs on 7 hits. The bullpen continued their success, giving up only 1 run on 3 hits in 3 innings of work. This was a great start for the Pirates’ home stand at PNC Park, as they then looked for the shortened series sweep on Thursday.
Thursday, May 20: The Pirates and Brewers once again played a highly competitive ballgame, but this time, the Buccos were on the wrong end of the scoreboard when the last out was recorded. After scoring 3 runs in the first inning, the Pirates failed to score another run throughout the game, while the Brewers had big innings in the 2nd and 4th on their way to a 4-3 win and a split in the series.
Steve Pearce tripled home 2 runs in the first, and then scored on Andy LaRoche’s RBi double. Unfortunately, the bats disappeared after that point. The Brewers, on the other hand, managed decent run support with timely hitting, something the Pirates have typically been able to put forth as well. An RBI triple by Corey Hart and a sacrifice by Gregg Zaun narrow the Pirates’ lead to 3-2 in the 2nd inning. Then, scores by Casey McGehee and Hart in the 4th gave them a 4-3 lead, which was all their bullpen needed to close out the game.
Paul Maholm was decently solid on this night, giving up 4 runs on 7 innings, while the bullpen, ONCE AGAIN, turned in a solid performance as a whole, surrendering only one hit in their 2 innings of work.
The Pirates earned a split in the series against the hated Brewers, a team that once dominated our beloved Buccos. Still, while it’s promising to see the Pirates continue to be competitive against their divisional foes, one can help but be frustrated by the fact that they really SHOULD HAVE won both games. The Pirates now enter the weekend with a 3 game series against Nate McClouth and the Atlanta Braves.
Current Record: 18-23
And…As Always…Let’s Go Bucs!!!
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