W: Yovani Gallardo (3-1)
L: Ian Snell (1-3)
S: Carlos Villanueva (2)
HR: Yovani Gallardo (2)
MVP: Yovani Gallardo (+.738)
LVP: Jason Kendall (-.121)
Win Expectancy Graph
SBNation Coverage
Wow. Just wow.
I didn't see Juan Nieves' no-hitter, but it's hard for me to imagine a more incredible pitching performance than Yovani Gallardo displayed today.
Gallardo retired the first 14 batters he faced before allowing a double to Adam LaRoche in the fifth, then didn't allow another hit until the eighth inning. All told, he pitched eight scoreless innings, struck out eleven, allowed two hits and walked one. Also, with a scoreless tie in the seventh inning, he hit his second home run of the season, the Brewers only run in the game. With Trevor Hoffman unavailable, Carlos Villanueva pitched a perfect ninth to record his second save.
Ian Snell also had a pretty incredible performance for the Pirates in a losing effort. In an effort to avoid using a bullpen that has been torched in the series, the Pirates allowed Snell to throw 131 pitches, and he allowed just one run on five hits and four walks in seven innings, striking out five.
Prince Fielder was the only Brewer with multiple hits in the game, going 2-for-3 with a double. Ryan Braun went 0-for-4 and was struck out three times by Snell.