Locke Struggles as Pittsburgh Pirates Lose 9-4 to Milwaukee Brewers

Jeff Locke had another subpar outing for the Pittsburgh Pirates as they lost to the Milwaukee Brewers 9-4 in the second game of the series. The loss drops Locke to 7-9 on the season and the Pirates to 79-52 entering play on Thursday. Milwaukee was able to strike early in the victory that gave the Pirates their third straight loss.

Jean Segura led off the first inning with a double and scored on Jonathan Lucroy‘s single. Khris Davis smacked a double to center to score Segura and give the Brewers a quick two-run lead. They added a third run in the third inning off of a run-scoring single by Adam Lind.

Aramis Ramirez tied the game at three for the Pirates, sending a three-run home run into the stands in the fourth inning. The Brewers took the lead right back in their half of the inning off of another run-scoring hit by Lucroy that brought in two runs. The Pirates were able to get one of the runs back in the fifth inning off of a ground rule double by Ramirez, but that would be all they could score against Milwaukee.

Locke was removed after just 3 2/3 innings of work and Jared Hughes finished the fourth inning. Joe Blanton, Arquimedes Caminero, and Rob Scahill all gave up runs in their appearances on Wednesday, digging the hole deeper for the Pirates’ hitters. Unfortunately, they were not able to mount a comeback and registered yet another loss in that house of horrors known as Miller Park.

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What Stood Out

Locke once again did not pitch deep into the game, this time exiting before he even finished four innings of work. One of the biggest concerns for the Pirates (at least thinking about the playoffs) is the rotation and it seems like J.A. Happ should have jumped over Locke at this point as the lefty of choice.

Ramirez continues to show the depth that he adds to the team and even at his age shows that the power is still there. On days that Josh Harrison is the starter, Ramirez gives Clint Hurdle a great bat off of the bench. But on a day like Wednesday when Ramirez is the starter, he allows Hurdle to bring Harrison in at multiple positions.

What’s Next

The three-game series will wrap up on Thursday at 7:20p PM when Francisco Liriano and Taylor Jungmann take the ball for their clubs. Liriano went six innings and gave up three runs in his most recent start but did not factor into the decision. Jungmann has been outstanding for the Brewers since joining the club, and in his last start he kept the Reds off the board over six innings of work.

Next: A look at the Pittsburgh Pirates' September Reinforcements