Brewers: 3 observations from a rainy day Monday in Pittsburgh

Jun 8, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Jimmy Nelson (52) delivers a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Nelson owns Pittsburgh

Jimmy Nelson is 2-1 this season against the Pirates after dominating them again on Monday night.

In 18 innings against Pittsburgh in 2015, Nelson has allowed only three runs, two earned, on 11 hits with five walks and 19 strikeouts.

Against everyone else? Try 1-5 with a 5.04 ERA in nine starts against teams not named “Pittsburgh Pirates.”

Still, Nelson has been much better this season than he was in his 12-start trial to end the 2014 campaign. He is allowing 7.5 hits per nine innings, down from 10.6 last season, and his 8.2 strikeouts per nine innings is almost one strikeout a game higher than his mark of 7.4 a year ago.

His ERA is now 4.05 after finishing last year at 4.93.

“He had a big-time finish to his sinker and depth to the slider he threw,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “He had so much late action [on that pitch], we were not able to do a whole lot with it.”

He got a little help from the elements, as well.

Nelson was able to work two innings after the first rain delay, bouncing back from a walk to Jung Ho Kang and a single by Francisco Cervelli that put runners at the corners with no one out in the fifth to retire the side.

He then got out of trouble in the sixth after a double by Neal Walker. After intentionally walking Pedro Alvarez with two outs, Kang bounced into a force play to shortstop Jean Segura to end the threat.

“I was just happy that the first delay was short enough where we could leave Jimmy out there and he gave us six great innings,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “He was locked in from the start, I thought.”

Kind of like Nelson always is against Pittsburgh this season.

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