W: Manny Parra (2-3)
L: Chris Resop (1-4)
S: John Axford (31)

HR: Aramis Ramirez (25), Andrew McCutchen (30), Clint Barmes (8)

MVP: Rickie Weeks (.431 WPA)
LVP: Kameron Loe (-.326)

Win expectancy graph

The Brewers struck fast, scoring 3 runs off of starter Wandy Rodriguez in the 1st inning. However, the Pirates soon answered with three runs of their own on an Andrew McCutchen home run off Mike Fiers in the 3rd, chasing Fiers early after 81 pitches.

The Pirates raided again in the 6th, scoring 3 runs off Kameron Loe. The home run to Barmes was solo but he followed that one up with three hits in a row, scoring another run. Jose Veras came in to stop the runs but he didn't, allowing a sacrifice fly to let another run score. That was all the runs the Pirates could do tonight, stopping at 7. At that point it was 7-4 and it looked like the Brewers would never score another run again...but there was hope.

Hope, as it frequently does, came in the form of the Pirates inserting Chad Qualls into the game to pitch. He gave up two singles and then Norichika Aoki, also a major hope deliverer in the 2012 Brewers season, hit a double that scored Carlos Gomez. Chris Resop was charged with the loss because he continued what Qualls started, letting all of the inherited runners score on a Rickie Weeks triple and letting Weeks score on Ramirez's single. (I am still wondering on what planet "walk Ryan Braun to get to Aramis Ramirez" makes sense; it's probably the same one where "walk Braun to get to Prince Fielder" also made sense.)

Francisco Rodriguez and John Axford shut the rest of the game down, despite a baserunner allowed by each of them. The Ax cut down all three of his outs with K's.