Milwaukee Brewers top Pirates 6-2 to finish road trip

WP: Zach Davies (3-2); LP: Tyler Glasnow (1-2); Save: none; HR: Mil, Travis Shaw (7), Jesus Aguilar (2), Eric Thames (12); Pitt, Jose Osuna (1)

The Milwaukee Brewers grabbed the finale of the three game series at PNC Park with a 6-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Zach Davies had a solid start, the Brewers hit with some power and defended well, and some suspect defense from the Pirates contributed to the Milwaukee cause.

The Brewers built a 3 run lead with single runs in the third, fourth, and fifth. In the top of the third, Jonathan Villar lined a two out single to left and came around to score when Pirates’ right fielder John Jaso misjudged Eric Thames’ liner to right and it went over his head for an RBI double.

Travis Shaw led off the top of the fourth with a homer to the last row of the bleachers in deep right, Shaw’s seventh of the season.

Milwaukee’s fifth inning run also involved shaky Pittsburgh defense and came without benefit of a hit. Orlando Arcia led off the inning with a walk (not a typo), and Davies bunted him over to second with two strikes. Villar’s sharp grounder to second was literally booted into shallow center by Phil Gosselin, allowing Arcia to score without a throw. Villar stole second and went to third on a throwing error by catcher Chris Stewart, but Thames and Hernan Perez both struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Pirates climbed back into the game in the bottom of the sixth. Davies had shut out the Bucs through 5²⁄₃ innings, but as he hit 100 pitches his control abandoned him. Gregory Polanco laced a high fastball down the rightfield line for a double, and Jose Osuna ripped a hanging change-up into the leftfield bleachers, and Zach’s day was done. He allowed four hits, walked two, and struck out seven. Jacob Barnes retired Gosselin to end the inning, and came back out for the bottom of the seventh. He retired the first two but walked Alen Hanson on four pitches (two of which were actually balls). Oliver Drake relieved and fell behind Jaso 3-0 before coming back to retire him on a flyball to center.

Between Barnes’ innings the Brewers tacked on a fourth run. Keon Broxton singled and stole second, and was driven in by a Jesus Aguilar ground rule double down the rightfield line. Aguilar entered the game in the bottom of the sixth on a double switch.

Corey Knebel continued his fine work this season with a three strikeout eighth, and the Brewers added some breathing room in the top of the ninth. Aguilar drove a towering homerun to straight away center (his second of the year), and Thames lined a shot to right (number 12) to make it 6-2.

Milwaukee stuck with Neftali Feliz in the bottom of the ninth despite the non-save situation, and Feliz allowed a pinch single to Josh Harrison and a walk to pinch hitter Elias Diaz before he retired Stewart on a bunt attempt. Hanson popped to shallow center for out number two, and Jaso grounded weakly to second to finalize things.

The Brewers (16-16) return home and after an off day Monday they welcome the Boston Red Sox (16-14 into today’s game in Minnesota) to Milwaukee for the first time in fourteen years. The Bosox and Crew will play three, and game one’s probable starting pitchers are Drew Pomerantz (3-1, 4.00) for Boston and Wily Peralta (4-1, 4.88) for the Brewers. Game time is 6:40, with the game on FSWisconsin and the Brewers’ radio network.