Big fifth inning helps Brewers to 7-3 win over Pirates

If you watched the Brewers play or read our recap of the 4-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates last night, you noticed a common trend put in play again. The Brewers’ success has been heavily reliant on the type of production the offense can get on a given night. As Curt Hogg pointed out on Twitter/X last night, since August 1 the Brewers are scoring 7.0 runs in their wins, and 1.7 runs in their losses. The last two nights have been a near-perfect example of that trend.

Last night: Two runs in a 4-2 loss.

Tonight: Seven runs in a 7-3 victory.

Of course, it didn’t seem as though they would head in the direction of a victory early on. At the plate, they couldn’t get much against Pirates starter Andre Jackson. The right-hander did not allow a base runner through three innings. In the top of the fourth, however, the Brewers created opportunities by being patient. Christian Yelich, William Contreras, and Carlos Santana forced the bases loaded with three straight walks to open the inning. The red-hot Mark Cahna was unable to break through for the Brewers first hit, but he did put the ball in play which was good enough to score a run. The double play did slow down the momentum, and a Willy Adames flyout ended the inning at 1-0.

The Brewers broke through one inning later. This time, it was a combination of a little bit of unlucky spots and lucky breaks. First, Andruw Monasterio got unlucky when his 409-foot fly ball found the only spot in the yard that would keep it in play, the cutout near the bullpen in right center. Still, his triple allowed Sal Frelick to score, who was on with a walk. Brice Turang then used the luck on the Brewers’ side as a swinging bunt found the perfect spot in the infield to score Monasterio and allow Turang to reach without a throw.

One batter later, Tyrone Taylor softly landed a fly ball to shallow right, moving Turang to third. Yelich extended the lead to 4-0 with a sacrifice fly. A walk to Contreras forced the Pirates to go to their bullpen, but that move wouldn’t slow down the Brewers’ offense. A double and single from Santana and Cahna extended the lead to 7-0. In the end, it would be another big inning for the Brewers offense, as they tallied six runs after getting no hits through the first four innings.

While the offense found its stride in the fifth, starter Brandon Woodruff consistent shut down the Pirates offense. He was able to use his fastball effectively, using it to finish off each of his six strikeouts through seven innings of work. The seven innings were his longest outing of the season, but he showed no signs of fatigue. He didn’t allow a run and gave up just two hits in the quality start.

The Pirates show some life in the bottom of the ninth, scoring three runs off Clayton Andrews before Elvis Peguero came on in relief. The tying run found itself on the on-deck circle, which forced Devin Williams to start getting warm. Peguero was able to keep him in the bullpen, as he got the Brewers out of the jam and secured the 7-3 win.

The Brewers will try to complete a series victory in the rubber match tomorrow. The reigning NL Pitcher of the Month Freddy Peralta will get the ball against Mitch Keller.