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On Friday night in Wisconsin, the Pittsburgh Pirates (5-8) and Milwaukee Brewers (7-5) squared for the first game of a three-game series. For the Pirates, JT Brubaker (1-0) received the call; for the Brewers, Adrian Houser (1-1). After coming off a winning homestand, Pittsburgh was looking to keep the ball rolling.
In the third inning, Colin Moran got the scoring started when he launched an opposite field home run (3), staking the Pirates to a 1-0 advantage.
It wouldn’t be until the top of the fifth inning when a run was pushed across again; on an Adam Frazier triple, Kevin Newman and Dustin Fowler came around to score. In that same inning, Bryan Reynolds would drive in Frazier with a double.
Meanwhile, JT Brubaker was pitching well for the Bucs. Brubaker would give his club six innings pitched, allowing only four hits, and one run, while striking out eight and not issuing a single free pass. That lone run given up by Brubaker came in the bottom of the fifth inning when Tyrone Taylor doubled and Jace Peterson came around to score.
An eighth inning home run (2) off the bat of Gregory Polanco would plate two more, extending the Pirates’ lead 6-1. That’s the score by which the Bucs would win.
With the win, the Pirates improve to 6-8, while the Brewers fall to 7-6. Of note, Adam Frazier picked up a pair of hits, including a triple; he also drove in two runs. Bryan Reynolds added a double to the Pirates’ line, finishing with the lone hit, while Colin Moran launched a home run, along with the two-run Polanco homer. The Pirates bullpen kept the Brewers off the board, including scoreless innings from Kyle Crick and Duane Underwood, Jr. Brubaker earned the win, his second, while Houser took the loss (1-2).
These two teams will meet again Saturday evening with first pitch scheduled for 7:10 EDT. Scheduled to start that game for Pittsburgh is RHP Trevor Cahill (0-1, 8.00), while Milwaukee counters with LHP Brett Anderson (1-1, 4.50). That game will be available on radio via KDKA, and available via broadcast from AT&T SportsNet.