Double trouble
Listless Brewers swept by Pirates
PITTSBURGH – The first half of the season lasted one week too long for the Milwaukee Brewers.
It became further evident Saturday that the Brewers arrived here completely out of gas when they scored only one run while getting swept in a doubleheader by the Pirates by scores of 2-1 and 6-2 at PNC Park.
The Brewers have lost the first four games of this five-game series and have dropped a season-high five in a row overall while going 1-6 on this final trip before the all-star break. In the process, they ceded first place in the National League Central to the Chicago Cubs.
The main culprit of the slide has been a vanishing offense, and that was the story again in the doubleheader sweep, though the Brewers avoided an 11th shutout with two runs in the ninth of Game 2. The Brewers have scored only nine runs in the first four games against a Pirates club that had not previously featured sterling pitching.
The Brewers were shut out for six innings in the second game by rookie right-hander Clay Holmes, making his second start in the majors and fourth outing overall (he had a 7.11 ERA in the first three). Their only run of the day came in the fifth inning of the first game on an RBI single by Christian Yelich.
It was the longest day of the season in many ways for the Brewers and it got uglier with three home runs in the eighth off Aaron Wilkerson, added as the 26th player, which is allowed in doubleheaders. Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco went back-to-back for the second time on the day and Luplow added his second of the game.
The Brewers had one run in the first 17 innings before Jesus Aguilar singled in two runs in the ninth of Game 2.
Left-hander Brent Suter returned from a forearm injury in the second game and turned in a solid five innings, allowing only two hits. One of them was a third-inning homer by No. 8 hitter Max Moroff, the only run Suter allowed.
Home runs have been an issue for Brewers starter Chase Anderson all season and that trend continued in the opening inning of the Game 1. With one down, Marte and Polanco connected back-to-back, with Marte sending a 0-1 fastball out to center and Polanco smacking a 3-2 fastball into the elevated seats in right.
The home runs were Nos. 18 and 19, compared to the 14 that Anderson surrendered all of last season.
FIVE TAKEAWAYS
A HOUSE OF HORRORS: Counsell said before the doubleheader, “For the last two years, we’ve had trouble scoring runs in this park, it feels like to me.” And he was right. Going back to 2017, the Brewers are 4-12 at PNC Park and have scored a total of 36 runs, for an average of 2.25 per game.
STRONG SHOWING BY WOODRUFF: Right-hander Brandon Woodruff has been up and down five times from the minors but has made the most of recent call-ups, including pitching three scoreless innings Friday night in the 7-3 loss to Pittsburgh. Woodruff also hit his first major-league home run.
SHAW OWNS NOVA: Brewers third baseman Travis Shaw, who batted third in the opener, has owned Pirates firstgame starter Ivan Nova over his career. Shaw entered the game with 11 hits in 14 at-bats (.786) against the big right-hander, with three home runs and two walks. Before Nova departed, Shaw went 1 for 2 against him, which lowered his career average to .750.
DOING IT ALL: Counsell did not start Aguilar in the first game, wanting to give him some rest. That removed a big bat from the struggling lineup because Aguilar ranked first in the National League with 24 home runs, a 1.004 OPS and .634 slugging percentage.
BURNES IMPRESSIVE AGAIN: Right-hander Corbin Burnes, who pitched two scoreless innings Tuesday in Miami in the Brewers' only victory on this trip for a save in his major-league debut, logged two more scoreless frames against the Pirates. Burnes allowed only one hit and a walk while striking out four hitters.