Brewers 6, Pirates 2
Aguilar, Thames, Shaw all go deep
Homers help Crew avoid a sweep in Pittsburgh.
PITTSBURGH - A three-homer day helped the Milwaukee Brewers avoid being swept for the first time this season, and also put the wraps on another successful road trip for them.
Travis Shaw went deep in the fourth inning and Jesús Aguilar and Eric Thames followed suit in the ninth to provide some insurance as the Brewers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 6-2, on Sunday afternoon at PNC Park.
Aguilar made a big impact on the game after being inserted as part of a double-switch in the sixth. He doubled home a run in the seventh, homered in the ninth and then made a nice defensive play in the bottom of the frame to help Neftali Feliz close the game out.
Thames, meanwhile, went 3 for 4 and finished a triple short of hitting for the cycle. His homer was his first since April 25, a span of nine games, and his 12th of the season.
In the big picture, the Brewers took advantage of a rare sunny day and warmer temperatures to close out their second road swing of the season with a 3-3 record.
Considering all the rain, cold temperatures, postponements and delays in both St. Louis and Pittsburgh, not to mention being without the services of the injured Ryan Braun for all but one pinch-hit at-bat, heading back home at 16-16 was a definite positive for the Brewers.
“It just felt good for the whole team,” said Thames. “Sun was out and it was a nice day for the bats to kind of come alive, and to get hot again going into the off-day was huge.”
Added manager Craig Counsell, whose team had scored just one run in the first two games of the series: “It was kind of a strange trip, and the weather was certainly a factor all trip, but we battled to a 3-3 record.”
Brewers starter Zach Davies allowed a Pittsburgh lineup sans Josh Harrison and Andrew McCutchen two singles and three walks through five innings before his day ended abruptly in the sixth.
The trouble started when Gregory Polanco doubled to right with two outs, and José Osuna followed by hitting his first major-league homer to narrow Milwaukee’s lead to 3-2. That ended Davies’ attempt to pitch six complete innings for the first time in seven starts.
Davies allowed four hits, two runs and three walks to go along with a season-high seven strikeouts in winning his third consecutive outing.
“I thought he definitely made progress today,” Counsell said. “Good tempo with his delivery, his curveball was very effective to a bunch of hitters in their lineup. But trying to get him through that sixth inning, he made a mistake with the changeup to Osuna.”
When Counsell lifted Davies he inserted Aguilar at first base as part of a double-switch. The move paid immediate dividends as Aguilar hit a ground-rule double down the right-field line to drive in Keon Broxton and up Milwaukee’s lead to 4-2.
Aguilar and Thames then homered in the ninth off Johnny Barbato, with Aguilar crushing his to straightaway center and Thames lifting one out to right. BEHIND THE BOX SCORE
Junior Guerra, still recovering from his right calf strain, threw two innings of live batting practice at Class A Wisconsin on Saturday. He remained there Sunday to work out, and is scheduled to throw another session of live BP (55-60 pitches) Wednesday at Miller Park.
Counsell said the expectation is Guerra will need only two minorleague rehab starts prior to being slotted back into the rotation.
Pirates infielder Gift Ngoepe was the big story in baseball in late April when he became the first African-born player to play in the major leagues. A native of Randburg, South Africa, Ngoepe scored the winning run in the 10th inning of the Pirates 2-1 victory over the Brewers on Saturday.
The Brewers have a rising prospect who they hope could be the next African-born player to debut in Demi Orimoloye, an outfielder at Class A Wisconsin. Orimoloye, 20, was born in Lagos, Nigeria, and moved to Canada as a young child. A fourthround pick of the Brewers in 2015, Orimoloye is off to a solid start for the Timber Rattlers and his six home runs are tied for the team lead. STAT SHEET
The Boston Red Sox will be making just their second trip to Miller Park when they open a threegame interleague series Tuesday. The Brewers and Red Sox haven’t played there since June 6-8, 2003, when Boston won two of three. The Red Sox have the longest active stretch of any American League team between visits to Milwaukee.
The Brewers are 143168 all-time in interleague play and 135-161 since joining the National League. They’re 2-0 this season, having swept their first road series of the season in Toronto. TAKEAWAY
Considering all the rain and lousy weather the Brewers endured, to come out of the road trip with a .500 record is a definite plus. Seeing Thames heating back up at the plate is a good sign. RECORD
This year: 16-16 (7-10 home; 9-6 away).
Last year: 13-18. NEXT GAME
Tuesday: Brewers vs. Red Sox, 6:40 p.m. Milwaukee RHP Wily Peralta (4-2, 4.88) vs. Boston LHP Drew Pomeranz (3-1, 4.00). TV: FS Wisconsin. Radio: AM-620.