Pirates Drop Brewers 8-4 With Four Homer Barrage

The Pittsburgh Pirates worked an 8-4 win to tie their series with the Milwaukee Brewers at one apiece. Four home runs were the difference as the Brewers couldn’t keep up with the onslaught of cannonballs.

Recap:

The Pirates worked a two-out rally in the first inning, with a single and a walk setting the stage for first baseman Alfonso Rivas’ three-run homer to break the ice.

Milwaukee punched back in the bottom of the frame, cutting the lead to 3-2 with a single and a sacrifice fly against Pirates’ rookie Quinn Priester.

The Pirates doubled their score in the second with an RBI double from Bryan Reynolds and a two-run homer from Henry Davis, his fifth of the season.

Brewers’ starter Colin Rea settled in from there: Priester allowed a leadoff homer to Carlos Santana in the fifth as each pitcher ended their day at 12 outs recorded.

Pittsburgh showed their ability to punch back once again in the sixth, which opened with Josh Palacios and Reynolds hitting back-to-back home runs, pushing the Pirates up 8-3.

Pirates’ reliever Carmen Mlodzinski struggled in the seventh, issuing three walks and a single. He wriggled out of a bases-loaded situation to hold the Brewers to just one run, 8-4.

Rivas came to the plate in the ninth, eying a double to complete the cycle, but a fly out ended his bid.

Closer David Bednar put the Brewers away, working a clean frame with a four-run lead.

Key Moment:

Mlodzinski’s struggles in the seventh could’ve spelled disaster for the Pirates. Instead, his Houdini act kept them comfortably ahead.

Star of the Game:

Rivas went 3-for-4 with three RBI, a double from the cycle in his second game as a Pirate.

Stat of Interest:

Reliever Yerry De Los Santos recorded the first win of his big league career, firing a scoreless inning with one hit and two strikeouts.

Noteworthy:

Jack Suwinski recorded his first error in more than 730 innings in the outfield this season.

Rivas recorded his first home run as a Pirate.

Carlos Santana, who the Pirates flipped to Milwaukee ahead of the trade deadline, homered against his former team.

Up Next:

The Pirates move to 49-60 on the season. Their series with the Brewers continues at 7:10pm on Saturday. Left-hander Bailey Falter (0-7, 5.13 ERA, 28 SO) looks to make his Pirates’ debut. Milwaukee counters with ace Corbin Burnes (9-6, 3.44 ERA, 136 SO).