COMON Network

By COMON Network Team

Final Score– Milwaukee Brewers (15-17) 7, Pittsburgh Pirates (9-21) 6

WP: Devin Williams (2-1) LP: Richard Rodriguez (0-2) SV: N/A

The Brewers won by walk-off home run Saturday night in Milwaukee, as the Bucs dropped their second straight after a doubleheader sweep in St. Louis Thursday afternoon into the evening. Eric Sogard’s walk-off blast against Richard Rodriguez was the difference.

The Pirates started the scoring on a Josh Bell sac fly in the first inning before Christian Yelich launched a solo shot in the Brewers’ half of the inning. Luis Urias walked with the bases loaded in the second to give the Brewers a lead at 2-1. Jacob Stallings’ third-inning RBI double tied the game before Kevin Newman’s sac fly gave the Pirates a lead at 3-2 in the fifth. Josh Bell hit a solo homer to extend the lead to 4-2. Orlando Arcia homered to make it 4-3 in the seventh before Avisail Garcia’s pinch-hit double in the eighth gave the Brew Crew the lead at 5-4.

Josh Hader walked five in the game, and in the process blew a save opportunity, including Jacob Stallings and Adam Frazier with the bases loaded to give to the Bucs a 6-5 lead. Sogard’s two-run walk-off homer won it for the Brew Crew in the ninth.

Game three is slated for 2:10 p.m. ET tomorrow.

COMON Network Team Commentary

RYAN SIMPSON

• Brubaker is doing everything he can to give the Pirates a chance to win a ballgame. Another solid outing today from the 26-year-old. His line this season reads: 20 IP, 18 H, 20 ERs, 22 Ks which is not bad at all for a guy who is getting thrown into whatever role is needed. Hope to see him continue to succeed this season.
• Jacob Stallings continues to make the case for the best bucco of this 2020 season. Big Jake is now hitting HITTING LINE. The decision to cut Diaz and roll with Stallings is currently looking like the right call. Gonzalez is also staying hot with another two for three night at the dish. The Pirates are starting to score runs which is good to see now that we are at the halfway point in the season.
• BIG ups to my boy Josh Hader for the five free passes tonight. Still hasn’t allowed a hit and yet blew a save tonight. Great job by Newman, Bell, Stallings and Fraizer to just stand in the box and just wait for Hader to make a mistake. Hader threw 32 pitches and only nine for strikes. Also, broke a chain tonight on the mound so he is oh for two tonight.
• GET RICH ROD OFF THE TEAM. He’s AHT.

Player of the Game – Eric Sogard (MIL)

DONNY CHEDRICK

• Another solid day for JT. Saturday’s start for JT Brubaker went down as a well-deserved win. Five innings for the right-hander, allowing a pair of runs and striking out six. This start for Brubaker was his longest in a Pirates uniform and put the offense in a great spot to win the game — and they handled their end thanks to guys like Stallings, Gonzalez and Bell.
• Two’s are wild. Four Pirates hitters had two hits on Saturday night in Milwaukee (Gonzalez, Tucker, Bell, Frazier). You have to like the production out of the guys at the top, as Erik Gonzalez and Cole Tucker batted one and two in the order, with Josh Bell in the cleanup spot. A couple of those hits went for extra bases, including Bell’s third home run of 2020.
• What’s the closer situation? The Pirates blundered this game away in the bottom of the eighth, which begs the question of the back end of this Pirates bullpen. Right now it is a little bit jumbled after injuries to Keone Kela and Nick Burdi. Kyle Crick was reactivated so he could find himself back in the setup position, or maybe the closer if Richard Rodriguez doesn’t want to take control. Bucs are 9-21 so they can try pretty much whatever they want.

Player of the Game – Eric Sogard (MIL)