Milwaukee Brewers lose to Pirates, stumble to 0-4 start
By Phil Watson
Maybe the Milwaukee Brewers should consider the no-doubles defense. Like … all the time.
The Pittsburgh Pirates cracked four two-base hits on Friday night at Miller Park—running the total of two-baggers surrendered by the Brewers’ pitching staff in four games to a whopping 20—en route to a 6-2 win over Milwaukee.
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The Brewers are now 0-4 on the young season while Pittsburgh (1-3) got off the schneid after being swept in a three-game set by the Cincinnati Reds to open the year.
This marks the Brewers’ fifth 0-4 start in team history. The good news—if there is any—is that the last time it happened was 2011 … when Milwaukee won its last division title.
The Brewers also started 0-4 in 1984, 2001 and 2003.
Starter Mike Fiers had an up-and-down outing, striking out the side in the first inning before getting clubbed for three runs in the top of the second on three doubles, a single and a sacrifice fly.
Fiers (0-1) wound up allowing five runs on seven hits in five innings, walking one and fanning eight and serving up a long home run to center field by Pedro Alvarez in the fourth.
Apr 10, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Mike Fiers (50) waits for Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Pedro Alvarez (24) to finish running the bases after Alvarez hit a solo home run in the fourth inning at Miller Park. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Through four games, Milwaukee’s starting rotation has an ERA of 8.41 and that includes Wily Peralta’s outstanding two runs in seven innings on Wednesday.
Fiers was nearly unhittable in the first, striking out the first two batters on six pitches before putting away Andrew McCutchen on a 2-2 changeup.
But Neil Walker led off the second with a double to right and moved up on a sacrifice bunt. Alvarez singled up the middle to give the Pirates a 1-0 lead. Francisco Cervelli dropped a double on the right-field chalk to put runners at second and third and Jordy Mercer hit a ball into the gap in right-center that Carlos Gomez gloved, but scored Alvarez.
Pitcher Jeff Locke followed by hitting Fiers’ first pitch for a ringing double into the gap in right-center to put Pittsburgh up 3-0.
That was all Locke would need. The left-hander worked six innings, allowing two runs on seven hits with a walk and two strikeouts for his first win of the year.
After Alvarez’s homer made it 4-0, Milwaukee tried to rally in the fourth.
Jonathan Lucroy walked and Ryan Braun chased McCutchen back to the track with a line drive out in center. After Aramis Ramirez popped out, Khris Davis doubled to center to put runners at second and third and Adam Lind continued his hot hitting with a single up the middle that plated both runners.
Lind, who was 2-for-3 with a walk, continued to be one of the few bright spots for the Brewers, matching a franchise record with eight hits in his first four games with the team. Paul Molitor turned the trick in 1978 and Damian Miller matched it in 2005.
The Pirates made it 5-2 in the fifth on a sacrifice fly by Starling Marte after McCutchen walked and Walker singled to put runners at the corners.
Apr 10, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy (20) hits a triple in the seventh inning during the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Miller Park. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Pittsburgh’s final run scored in the eighth when Marte hit a ball deep into the left-center field seats off left-hander Neal Cotts.
Milwaukee did get some positives—Jonathan Lucroy broke an 0-for-14 slide with a triple to center field in the seventh inning, but Ryan Braun was called out on strikes to end the threat.
Manager Ron Roenicke played left-handed swinging Lind and Scooter Gennett against Locke, with mixed results. Lind had a strong game, but Gennett was 0-for-3 and was ejected after being called out on strikes to end the eighth inning.
With Hector Gomez and Luis Jimenez already burned up as pinch-hitters, Roenicke had to use Carlos Gomez at second base in the ninth inning. Nothing was hit his way.
Tyler Thornburg, Jeremy Jeffress and Michael Blazek each pitched one perfect inning for the Brewers in relief, while Cotts surrendered the Marte homer and two other hits with a walk and two strikeouts in his lone inning of work.
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Davis and Jean Segura were each 2-for-4 for Milwaukee.
Roenicke’s aggressiveness on the bases snuffed out a potential rally for the Brewers in the sixth.
With Segura on with a two-out double, Gennett was hit by a pitch and Hector Gomez came up to hit against Locke. But Gennett was caught stealing on the back end of a double-steal attempt to end the inning.
There were some smatterings of boos being heard by the end of the game as the Brewers lost their fourth straight to start the season.
The teams will meet again Saturday at 6:10 p.m., with right-hander Jimmy Nelson (2-9, 4.93 ERA, 1.457 WHIP in 2014) making his season debut against right-hander Vance Worley (8-4, 2.85 ERA, 1.211 WHIP in 2014) for Pittsburgh.