Offense has support issues again
Garza’s quality start wasted against Bucs
PITTSBURGH - Offense is suddenly tough to come by for the Milwaukee Brewers, who had been bashing the ball around regularly the first month of the season.
After being shut out for the
first time all season Friday they managed just one run on three hits Saturday night in dropping a 2-1 decision in 10 innings to the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.
Josh Harrison’s walk-off single off Carlos Torres decided it, wasting another solid start by Matt Garza in the process.
The Pirates, meanwhile, used the triumvirate of starter Gerrit Cole and relievers Felipe Rivero and Tony Watson to great effect against the Brewers, who got a Hernán Pérez home run in the fourth for their lone tally and just a pair of singles after that.
“It was a well-pitched game on both sides,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “We faced their three best guys for 10 innings. They did a nice job. It was a difficult night to hit as well. The ball wasn’t really going anywhere.
“There weren’t many opportunities we missed out on. We just didn’t get many runners today.”
Gift Ngoepe opened the 10th with a single, went to second on a wild pitch, tagged and went to third on a flyout and then scored
on Harrison’s single to right.
The Brewers faced Pirates starter Gerrit Cole for the first time since Sept. 1, 2015, an unusually long time to avoid a division ace. The schedule worked in the Brewers’ favor in 2015 as they ran into the righthander just twice, and Cole had his 2016 season truncated by injury.
As a result, Domingo Santana (0 for 2) was the only member of the Brewers’ lineup to have faced Cole entering the game.
It was vintage Cole in this one, despite a steady rain and temperatures in the mid-40s.
He had little difficulty with the Brewers the first time through the order, issuing only a walk to Santana. Then Pérez, starting at shortstop on an off-night for Orlando Arcia, led off the fourth with a homer to left.
The Pirates got that run back in the bottom half of the inning after Josh Bell doubled, tagged and went to third after Keon Broxton and Nick Franklin bumped into each other tracking a fly ball in left-center and scored on a Gregory Polanco groundout.
Cole retired the final 10 batters he faced, leaving after seven innings and 101 pitches. He surrendered just two hits and two walks while striking out eight.
“That guy’s pretty good,” Pérez said. “He throws hard. It’s hard to hit a guy like that.”
Garza performed a terrific escape act in the sixth after surrendering three straight singles to load the bases with nobody out. He got Andrew McCutchen to ground into a 5-2 double play, then Polanco grounded out to Jonathan Villar.
Another double play in the seventh helped Garza close out his longest outing since Aug. 31. He allowed eight hits and didn’t walk a batter for the second straight game to go with four strikeouts over 86 pitches.
“We fought hard,” said Garza. “It sucks the way it ended, but I think we played well.”
The Brewers managed just one hit — an Eric Thames single — after the fourth inning. BEHIND THE BOX SCORE
The weather was more like early November than early May, with a steady rain that ended right before first pitch, a cold wind and 46-degree temperatures. Fortunately after a delay of 2 hours 27 minutes Friday night the rain held off enough to get the entire game in Saturday.
Franklin matched his season total for hits Friday by singling three times and raised his average from .091 to .162. He entered the game with just one hit in his previous 27 at-bats.
Franklin, who was back in the lineup Saturday, has yet to walk in 37 plate appearances.
STAT SHEET
The Brewers were shut out Friday for the first time in 30 games this season and for the first time in 48 games overall. They hadn’t been blanked since losing in Cincinnati, 3-0, Sept. 12.
Milwaukee entered Saturday hitting .245 with runners in scoring position, which ranked 11th in the National League but surprisingly was tops in the NL Central. The Pirates were 12th at .235, the Chicago Cubs were 14th at .229 and the St. Louis Cardinals were last at .216. TAKEAWAY
There’s been much to like about Garza since his return from the disabled list. He continues to keep hitters guessing with the off-speed stuff he struggled with in the spring, and now he’s racked up consecutive quality starts. Garza deserves a tip of the cap for adapting his pitching style and remaining effective. RECORD
This year: 15-16 (7-10 home; 8-6 away).
Last year: 13-18. NEXT GAME
Sunday: Brewers at Pirates, 12:35 p.m. Milwaukee RHP Zach Davies (2-2, 6.07) vs. Pittsburgh RHP Tyler Glasnow (1-1, 6.97). TV: FS Wisconsin. Radio: AM-620.