Pitiful offense fails to back Taillon

Jameson Taillon bounced back from a rough start against Milwaukee, but a helpless offense doomed the Pirates to a 1-0 loss to the Brewers.  Taillon breezed through the first five innings, allowing only one runner to reach scoring position.  Only one other runner reached and Taillon picked him off.  Taillon even retired nemesis Hernan Perez both times he faced him.  The Brewers only got on the board in the sixth when Taillon hit leadoff hitter Martin Maldonado.  Two outs put Maldonado on third and he scored on a double by Scooter Gennett.  Taillon came out for a pinch hitter in the bottom of the inning, having thrown only 75 pitches.  He gave up three hits, walked none and fanned four.  Taillon was followed by Felipe Rivero, Antonio Bastardo and Juan Nicasio, who threw a scoreless and hitless inning apiece.

The Pirates' offense meanwhile was a study in futility.  Facing 31-year-old rookie Junior Guerra, who'd already baffled them twice in July, they managed to run up the pitch count but couldn't score.  Guerra lasted only three and two-thirds innings, having thrown 70 pitches and allowing five hits and two walks, but the Pirates went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position.

With Guerra gone, the Pirates struggled against the Brewers' undistinguished bullpen, but managed to throw away the chances they got.  Matt Joyce walked as a pinch hitter in the seventh, but pinch runner Alen Hanson got picked off.  Josh Harrison then led off the eighth with a single, but got thrown out trying to go to third on a wild pickoff attempt.  In all, the Pirates managed just two hits and two walks over five and two-thirds innings against six different relievers.  Andrew McCutchen had three hits, to no avail.  The Pirates have now lost four in a row.