The Milwaukee Brewers (8-2) continued a hot start to extend a seven-game winning streak and an early NL Central lead, defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates (6-4) by a score of 4-2 on Friday evening.
Pirates ace Francisco Liriano (0-2) remains winless in his first three starts, though he has had little to no offensive production to work with. Allowing home runs in the fourth and fifth innings to Aramis Ramirez and Mark Reynolds, respectively, Liriano and the Pirates trailed 4-0 after five. He finished allowing those four runs in six innings, walking two and striking out seven, and now has a 4.00 season ERA.
The Pittsburgh offense did not produce until Neil Walker hit a two-run home run (2), halving the lead to 4-2 in the seventh off starter Wily Peralta (1-0). But the Milwaukee bullpen duo of Jim Henderson and Francisco Rodriguez shut the door on another potential comeback win, taking the series opener and earning Peralta his first win of the year.
In the top of the eighth, after lining out hard to third to end the inning, Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen did not return to the field in the bottom half of the inning. He told manager Clint Hurdle that he perhaps had injured an ankle and was immediately replaced by Josh Harrison. Reports in the visitor’s clubhouse after the game suggested that McCutchen was walking with a slight limp and the team considered him day-to-day and available for Saturday’s starting lineup if all is well.
With St. Louis (5-5) and Cincinnati (3-7) losing on Friday, Pittsburgh remains in sole possession of second place in the NL Central, now two games behind the front-running Brewers, two ahead of the Chicago Cubs (4-6). The series at Milwaukee’s Miller Park continues Saturday at 7:10 pm ET, when Edinson Volquez (0-0) battles Yovani Gallardo (2-0).
