Milwaukee Brewers blank Pittsburgh Pirates, 2-0

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2. 76. Final. 0. 4

A.J. Burnett pitched another quality game but did not get the win as the Pittsburgh Pirates fell to the Milwaukee Brewers 2-0 on Monday night. Burnett allowed just one run over seven innings but the offense was not able to cash in when the opportunity presented itself throughout the game. The loss dropped the Pirates to 31-26, tied with the Chicago Cubs for second in the National League Central division behind the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Brewers scored first when Jean Segura grounded out to Jordy Mercer which allowed Aramis Ramirez to score in the fifth inning. After multiple rain delays, Ryan Braun poked the twelfth pitch of his at-bat against Antonio Bastardo through the right side of the infield in the eighth inning to give the Brewers a second run. This one insurance run was more than enough for the Brewers on the night.

Rob Scahill was able to clean up the bottom of the eighth inning and pitched a clean ninth, but it ultimately did not matter. The Pittsburgh hitters were not able to get anything going against Francisco Rodriguez, who secured the win for Milwaukee in his usual dominant fashion.

What Stood Out

Once again the Pittsburgh offense could not have asked for much more from Burnett. For the seven innings that he was out there, he kept them in the game but unfortunately the hitters could not get anything going. He may not get credit for a win but Burnett continues to prove what a great value his signing was this off season.

Another thing that stood out was the Pirate inability to cash in when an opportunity presented itself. Multiple times throughout the game the Pirates had runners in scoring position and were unable to get anyone home: nine times to be exact. In a close game like last night, one timely hit could have turned the tide.

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What’s Next

The second game of the three-game series will begin tonight at 7:05 PM on Tuesday night when Taylor Jungmann (0-0, 0.00 ERA) of the Milwaukee Brewers (21-37) and Francisco Liriano (3-4, 3.24 ERA) of the Pittsburgh Pirates (31-26) face off. Jungmann will be making his major league debut, so hopefully the Pirates will capitalize on his inexperience. Liriano is coming off of a string of quality starts that he’ll look to extend against the Brewers. After being shut on Monday, today’s game represents a great opportunity to start winning some ballgames.

Next: Pittsburgh Pirates Minor League Report