Pirates Offense Muffled, Brewers Take Series in 5-0 Shutout Win

Recap

Mitch Keller (8-3, 3.62 ERA) and the Pittsburgh Pirates didn’t have the luck they needed in his outing against the Milwaukee Brewers Saturday afternoon by a score of 5-0. The Pirates have now lost five straight.

Although Keller struck out seven, he walked three and gave up some untimely hits.

Through five innings pitched, Keller had to throw a ton of pitches with 99. In addition, the Brewers hit 15 foul balls, and Keller was forced to throw extra pitches.

One of the more encouraging signs from Keller was he induced 14 swings and misses in his short time on the mound, with his cutter leading the way with seven.

The Pirates’ offense was held quiet against Wade Miley (4-2, 3.28 ERA) and company, as Miley pitched five scoreless innings while giving up just two hits.

Key Moment

In the bottom of the third, Keller allowed a leadoff hit to Victor Caratini, with Joey Wiemer coming to the plate after homering the night previous.

In a 1-0 count, Keller dished up an 89.5 mph cutter in the middle third of the plate, and Wiemer hit a 102 mph, two-run homer to give the Brewers a 2-0 lead.

Wiemer’s homer would’ve been a homer in 25 out of 30 ballparks, including PNC Park.

Star of the Game

It would have to be a tie between Wiemer and Miley for Milwaukee, but I think the edge would have to go with Miley. Miley’s total stat line read five innings pitched, two hits, no runs, two walks, and four strikeouts.

Hidden Stat

The Pirates came into Saturday with a record of 12-24 when their opponent scored first. Now, with Wiemer’s homer in the third, the Pirates are now 12-25.

In addition, the Pirates have yet to win a game when trailing after the eighth inning and have a record now of 0-33.

Noteworthy

• Saturday’s game was Miley’s first game back at the major league level since going on the 15-day IL with a left-lat strain. Miley did make one start for the Brewers Double-A squad, where he went five scoreless innings.
• Keller’s 14 whiffs were the most he’s had since May 31 against the San Francisco Giants, where he had 14 as well. The last time Keller surpassed 14 whiffs in a game was on April 27 against the Los Angles Dodgers, where he had 15.
• Roansy Contreras pitched two extremely good innings in relief Saturday after setting down six straight on 17 pitches. The last time Contreras gave up no runs in an outing was on May 28 against the Seattle Mariners, where he went two scoreless in relief.

Up Next

The Pittsburgh Pirates will call upon RHP Luis Ortiz (1-3, 4.64 ERA) to try and salvage this series. Ortiz will face Freddy Peralta (5-6, 4.73 ERA) in game three before coming home to face the Chicago Cubs.