Pirates Sweep NL Central-Leading Brewers on Walk-Off Wild Pitch

The Pittsburgh Pirates walked off the Milwaukee Brewers for the second time in less than 24 hours Thursday, winning 5-4 on a wild pitch in the 10^th inning to sweep a three-game series from the National League Central leaders.

The Pirates scored twice in the 10^th to overcome a 4-3 deficit.

Bryan Reynolds led off with a book-rule double that bounced over the side wall in right field and scored automatic runner Tucupita Marcano from second base. Ben Gamel was intentionally walked, and Reynolds moved to third on Ke’Bryan Hayes flyout.

With Michael Chavis batting, Matt Bush threw a pitch in the dirt that eluded catcher Victor Cartini. Reynolds scampered home with the winning run.

That came after Reynolds hit a leadoff home run in the bottom of the ninth inning Wednesday night to give the Pirates an 8-7 win.

The Pirates (43-62) had lost seven games in a row before the sweep.

The Brewers (57-48) scored a run without a hit in the top of the 10^th to break a 3-3 tie. The go-ahead run came home when Duane Underwood Jr. (1-3) hit Kolten Wong with a full-count pitch with two outs and the bases loaded.

Hayes, the third baseman, kept the Brewers from scoring the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth inning. He fielded Tyrone Taylor’s hot smash with the bases loaded just behind the third base bag, stepped on the base to force Caratini then threw across the infield to complete the double play.

The Pirates scored twice in the seventh inning to tie the score at 3-3. Marcano and Gamel each had RBI singles.

Pirates starter Zach Thompson lasted just 4.1 innings and gave up three runs. However, it was improvement over his last two starts when he tagged for seven runs in each.

Thompson also allowed four hits while striking out five and walking one. He is winless in his last eight outings.

The home run ball hurt the lanky right-hander.

Caratini hit a solo shot in the third inning to make it 1-1. Mike Brousseau put the Brewers ahead 3-1 with a two-run dinger in the fifth inning that just reached the first row of the right-field stands. The homer was upheld following a video review.

The Pirates got their first run off in second inning when Greg Allen scored on a passed ball.

Rookie shortstop Oneil Cruz hit a single in the third inning clocked at 118.4 mph, the highest exit velocity by any Pirates player since Statcast launched in 2015. True to the up-and-down nature of his rookie season, Cruz was then caught stealing to end the inning.

Cruz also had the previous hardest-hit ball by a Pirates player with a 116.4-mph single last season.

Of the six-best exit velocities by the Pirates this season, Cruz has five – 118.4, 113.9, 113.8, 112.9 and 112.3. Jack Suwinski, now at Triple-A Indianapolis, hit a home run 112.4 mph.

The Pirates open a three-game series and 10-game road trip against the Baltimore Orioles at 7:05 p.m. Friday at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

Mitch Keller (3-7, 4.37) is scheduled to start for the Pirates against Dean Kremer (3-3, 3.86). Keller has allowed three or fewer earned runs in nine of his 11 starts since returning to the rotation May 31.