PITTSBURGH — The Pirates probably could have used a furry or two, although they surely would’ve settled for a clutch hit. However it happened, some semblance of a late-game charge.
Instead, they scored just once after the second inning on Sunday against the Brewers at PNC Park. The result was a 6-3 loss that doubled as another series victory for the Brewers.
Although the Pirates have fared well against the Cardinals (5-2) and Reds (5-2) this season, they’ve been terrible against the Brewers (1-5) and Cubs (0-6) halfway through NL Central play.
This particular series fizzled out after so much promise on Friday night, when the Pirates erased a 4-0 deficit to snag an 8-7 win on Carlos Santana’s homer. It also wraps up a 4-2 homestand that snapped an extended stretch of losing — 12 of 13 — and sets up an important seven-game trip to Los Angeles and Arizona prior to the All-Star break.
Whether the Pirates (39-44) can made more than one or two pushes per game will ultimately determine whether they can remain contenders in a weak division.
The Pirates did get a run closer in the eighth inning thanks to Josh Palacios’ second double of the game. Palacios ripped a two-strike sinker into the right-center gap to cut Milwaukee’s lead at the time to 5-3 before the Brewers answered in the ninth with a double inside the third-base bag from designated hitter Andruw Monasterio.
Rich Hill amassed eight strikeouts in his start, his second-highest total this season. He had three through two innings before a sequence that likely didn’t sit well with the veteran left-hander, one that allowed the Brewers to claim 3-2 lead in the third inning.
After hitting right fielder Raimel Tapia with a 70 mph sweeper, Hill walked Monasterio on five pitches, many of which were not close. That brought up catcher William Contreras, who got ahead in the count, 3-1.
Hill threw a fastball that he seemingly tried to get inside. Contreras got out in front of it, pulled it and crushed it 435 feet at 109.9 mph into the Pirates’ bullpen. It was the first homer Hill has allowed in his past four starts and spoiled what was actually a pretty solid start for him.
Hill worked five innings and allowed those three earned runs on three hits and two walks.
Nick Gonzales continued his solid start and handed the Pirates a 2-0 lead with his two-run home run in the second inning. The young infielder showed what can be an aggressive approach by ambushing a first-pitch cutter, blasting it to the grass in front of the shrubbery in center field.
Although it wasn’t quite as far as his first homer — a 442-foot blast that hit the bottom of the batter’s eye — it still showcased an impressive amount of power.
After beginning his big league career by going 0 for 8, Gonzales is 4 for 15 with a double, tripled homer in his last five/six games.
Similar to the Hill mistake pitch, Ryan Borucki threw a ball in the eighth that he probably wants back. This came with two aboard and two outs, as Borucki took over for Carmen Mlodzinski. Second baseman Brice Turang hit a tapper to Borucki’s left — on an 0-2 pitch, no less — and the Pirates reliever wound up throwing wildly into shallow right field.
Two runs scored, allowing the Brewers to take a 5-2 lead.
ROSTER MOVES
The Pirates on Sunday activated Bryan Reynolds from the 10-day injured list. He had been out since June 19 with low back inflammation and went 0 for 4 with a strikeout against Milwaukee.
They also placed Ji Hwan Bae on the 10-day IL because of a left ankle sprain. Bae came up lame during an eighth-inning at-bat on Saturday, as he exacerbated an issue that has plagued him on and off this season.
Lastly, the Mariners claimed Mark Mathias off waivers. Mathias, who was designated for assignment on June 25, batted .231 and had a .624 OPS in 22 major league games this season.
INJURY UPDATES
Speaking on his 93.7 The Fan radio show an hour before first pitch, Pirates general manager Ben Cherington offered a couple updates on injured players.
Wil Crowe (right shoulder discomfort) threw an inning for Low-A Bradenton on Sunday and would progress through several levels during his rehab. Meanwhile, Rob Zastryzny left a rehab appearance with Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday when he felt discomfort in his knee.
Ke’Bryan Hayes’ return from low back inflammation (he’s eligible to come back Wednesday “should be on the shorter end,” meaning it’s entirely possible he’ll be back before the break.
Lastly, Ji-Man Choi (.316 average, 1.229 OPS in 6 games entering Sunday) continues to look solid in his rehab assignment, Cherington said, and could seemingly join the Pirates this week in Los Angeles. Cherington originally pegged Choi’s rehab assignment at around 5-7 games.
UP NEXT
Mitch Keller will open a four-game series against the Dodgers in Los Angeles. His nine wins before the break are the most for a Pirate since Ivan Nova also had nine in 2017.
