Braun rises to the occasion
His two-run double in eighth breaks tie
An off-day turned out to be a big day for Ryan Braun.
Out of the starting lineup for the second consecutive game as he nursed a sore right calf, Braun nevertheless entered the game in the seventh inning and delivered the big blow in the eighth.
His two-out, two-run double to center field off George Kontos lifted the Milwaukee Brewers over the Pittsburgh Pirates, 5-3, on Saturday night at Miller Park.
Domingo Santana doubled to lead off the eighth, and after Orlando Arcia struck out trying to bunt him up and
KENTUCKY DERBY
Manny Piña grounded out, Eric Sogard drew his third walk to give Braun a chance at a clutch at-bat.
Having struck out in the previous inning, Braun redeemed himself by stroking a double to straightaway center on a 2-2 count to drive in both Santana and Sogard and put the Brewers back in front.
Josh Hader, who gave up a tying tworun home run to Starling Marte in the previous inning, pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to pick up his first victory of the season.
Milwaukee appeared to be in great shape heading to the eighth.
Its offense finally got going the previous inning, with Christian Yelich delivering the team's first hit with runners in scoring position in eight opportunities on the evening as he singled to left with two outs to drive in Sogard and break a 1-1 tie.
Lorenzo Cain also moved to third on the single, and he came in to score one batter later on a passed ball charged to Francisco Cervelli.
It would prove to be a big insurance run, as the Pirates answered in the eighth against Hader.
Pitching for the first time since his 22⁄3-inning, eight-strikeout save Monday night in Cincinnati, Hader opened with a strikeout of Sean Rodriguez and then walked Gregory Polanco to bring Marte to the plate.
Marte got ahead in the count, 2-1, before going with a 95-mph fastball and sending it over the wall in right-center to knot the score at 3-3. It was the second homer allowed by Hader this season and first since April 11.
The Brewers finally broke through in the fourth when, after Travis Shaw drew a leadoff walk from Jameson Taillon, Hernán Pérez doubled to left to drive him in and give Milwaukee a 1-0 lead.
Brewers starter Jhoulys Chacín sailed through his first five innings with relative ease, allowing only a single and a pair of walks before facing his first spot of trouble in the sixth.
Adam Frazier and Polanco each singled to lead off the frame, and Frazier tagged and scored on a sacrifice fly to center by Marte to tie it at 1-1. Chacín then got Josh Bell to fly out and Corey Dickerson to ground out, ending his night after 93 pitches.
FIVE TAKEAWAYS
DRAKE TRADED: Right-hander Oliver Drake, who was designated for assignment following Tuesday's game, was traded on Saturday to the Cleveland Indians for cash. In an interesting twist, the Brewers could see Drake as soon as Tuesday with the Indians arriving at Miller Park for a two-game interleague series.
BAD NEWS: Catcher Stephen Vogt, who is in the midst of a minor-league rehab assignment at Class AA Biloxi, had to leave Saturday's game after attempting to throw out a runner at third base. Vogt has been on the disabled list all season with a strained right shoulder but the hope was he'd rejoin the Brewers at some point during their upcoming road trip.
BRAUN OUT AGAIN: Braun was out of the lineup for the second straight game as the Brewers continued to try to manage his right-calf strain. Braun pinch-hit on Friday and then entered Saturday's game in the seventh. But otherwise the hope is by limiting his activity over the course of several days — the team was also off Thursday and has another off-day Monday — he'll be able to get over the hump.
AT LONG LAST: When Santana homered off Nick Kingham in the sixth inning Friday, he breathed a sigh of relief. It was the rightfielder's first of the season after hitting a career-high 30 last year. He came into the game with just three extra-base hits — all doubles — and slugging just .278. That it came while Pittsburgh is in town wasn't altogether surprising.
GAMBLED AND LOST: The Brewers appeared to be in good position to break a scoreless tie when consecutive oneout singles by Cain and Yelich put runners on the corners with one out. Jesús Aguilar followed with a pop fly to shallow center that Frazier gloved for the out, and Cain made the risky decision to try and tag and score from third. Frazier made an accurate one-hop throw to the plate, and Cain was an easy out at home.
RECORD
This year: 20-14 Last year: 18-16
ATTENDANCE
Saturday: 32,720
This year: 526,972(32,936 avg.) Last year: 460,270 (28,767 avg.)
COMING UP
Sunday: Brewers vs. Pirates, 1:10 p.m. Milwaukee RHP Chase Anderson (3-2, 3.38) vs. Pittsburgh RHP Chad Kuhl (3-2, 5.01). TV: FS Wisconsin. Radio: AM-620.