Pittsburgh — The Pirates used an eight-run sixth inning to pull away from the Brewers 15-5 on Friday night at PNC.
The Pirates (29-31) got two runs on the board right off the bat with RBI by Andrew McCutchen and Russell Martin. McCutchen would add a solo-home run in the third to push the lead to 3-0.
The Brewers (36-26) bounced back off of Pirates starter Brandon Cumpton in the fourth. Jonathan Lucroy singled with one out and Carlos Gomez followed with a double setting up second and third. Aramis Ramirez then hit a RBI single and Kris Davis followed with a sac fly making it 3-2 with two out. Cumpton pitched around slugger Mark Reynolds and got Brewers starter Kyle Lohse to ground out to end the jam.
“It was very important,” said manager Clint Hurdle. “The fact that Reynolds is up there. He’s got 13 home runs. He’s more than a threat and we did have a base open and it happened to be second base, but we didn’t want to just put him on from the jump. We felt comfortable trying to get him to swing at a chase. Once we didn’t get a chase, we made the pitches and went after the pitcher. Lohse is actually a guy that everyone thinks is an easy out, but he was hitting .180 coming in and that’s pretty good for a pitcher.”
Jordy Mercer matched Cutch’s solo-shot to the same part of the park and Neil Walker added a RBI single in the fifth to push the Pirates lead back out, but once again, the Brewers started crawling back. Gomez singled to start the sixth and scored on a Davis single with one out. Hurdle then called on Justin Wilson, who got a fly out and strikeout to end the inning.
“Wilson put a foot down when we needed it,” said Hurdle. “When Reynolds comes back around as the tying run and Wilson was effective.”
The Pirates put the game away in the bottom of the sixth when they put an eight-spot up on six hits and four walks. Ike Davis, Jose Tabata, Mercer and Josh Harrison all recorded RBI in the inning and Martin provided the big blow with a bases-clearing 3 RBI double.
Contagious hitting is a much-needed sign for the Pirates as they try to catch the Brewers in the standings and the team is having fun while doing it.
“People in front of you are getting hits. They’re having fun, so you want to join the party,” said Mercer. “It’s fun. A night like tonight was a lot of fun. That’s why you come here to play this game and we enjoyed it.”
Both teams exchanged two runs in the final innings to finish out the scoring.
Final Score: Pirates 15, Brewers 5.
Starters Lines
Cumpton (W, 1-2): 5 1/3 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K’s. 79 Pitches (52 Strikes).
Lohse (L, 7-2): 5+ IP, 9 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HBP, 1 WP, 2 HR. 95 Pitches (60 Strikes).
The Pirates gain a game from the Brewers and are now six games out of first in the NL Central with the second game of the three-game series coming tomorrow afternoon.
Tomorrow’s Starters
(RHP) Edinson Volquez (PIT): 3-4, 4.25 ERA
(RHP) Matt Garza (MIL): 3-4, 4.42 ERA
First pitch is set for 4:05.
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(Photo Credit: Justin K. Aller/Getty Images North America)
