Pittsburgh Pirates series review vs. Brewers

Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Game One: A.J. Burnett (8-5, 3.06ERA) vs. Wily Peralta (5-8. 4.21ERA)

Result: Pirates lose 6-4 (13 innings)

Winning Pitcher: Francisco Rodriguez (1-3, 2.54ERA)

Losing Pitcher: Radhames Liz (1-4, 4.24ERA)

Save: Kyle Lohse (2, 6.11ERA)

• What went right:
  • The Dark Knight Returns! A.J. Burnett made his return to the pitching rubber at PNC Park and while he wasn’t great, he was solid enough and kept the Pirates in the game. He went five innings, allowed three runs on three hits and struck out three.
  • Joe Blanton was ridiculous again. He went two innings, allowed zero runs on two hits and struck out three.
  • Francisco Cervelli reached base five times in the game. He went 3-4 with two walks.
  • Gregory Polanco hit a game-tying home run in the 12^th inning after the Brewers took the lead in the top of the inning.

• What went wrong:
  • The Pirates left 10 men on base and went 0-6 with runners in scoring position.
  • Radhames Liz was not very good out of the bullpen. He went two innings, allowed three runs on four hits and struck out four. He allowed the go-ahead run twice in extra innings.
  • Ryan Braun was a Pirate-killer as he usually is. He went 2-5 with a walk and two RBI.
  • Adam Lind continued to be frustrating. He greeted A.J. Burnett with a first inning home run and went 2-6 on the day.

This game could have gone better, but despite the extra inning loss, the Pirates did look a bit better than they did in any of the games at Miller Park. They looked to respond by sending a little Electric Stuff to the mound.

Next: Game Two: Morton vs. Nelson

Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Game Two: Charlie Morton (8-7, 4.07ERA) vs. Jimmy Nelson (11-11, 3.86ERA)

Result: Pirates win 6-3

Winning Pitcher: Charlie Morton (9-7, 4.02ERA)

Losing Pitcher: Jimmy Nelson (11-12, 3.95ERA)

Save: Mark Melancon (45, 2.06ERA)

• What went right:
  • Charlie Morton was pretty good on the mound. He went six innings, allowed two runs on three hits and struck out two. He never let the Brewers batters get overly settled in.
  • Chris Stewart had maybe his best offensive game as a Pirate. He went 3-4 with three RBI. He also showed off his speed by beating out a bunt single.
  • The formula of Tony Watson and Mark Melancon continued to be dominant as they shut the Brewers down in the eighth and ninth innings.
  • We also continued to be Gung-ho for Jung Ho Kang as he went 1-3 with an RBI and two runs scored.

• What went wrong:
  • Josh Harrison grounded into a double play in the first inning.
  • Aramis Ramirez committed another error while trying to underhand toss to a pitcher covering first base. Josh Harrison and Gregory Polanco also committed errors. Relatively sloppy defensive game by the Pirates.
  • Adam Lind haunted the Pirates again. He went 1-3 with a home run, a walk, two RBI and a run scored.
  • Logan Schafer went 2-3 on the day.

Pirates didn’t play their best game by any means, but they were able to bounce back and get the win against the ever annoying Milwaukee Brewers to even the series. They looked to gain the advantage in the series with Mr. Popular on the mound.

Next: Game Three: Locke vs. Davies

Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Game Three: Jeff Locke (7-10, 4.56ERA) vs. Zach Davies (1-0, 3.97ERA)

Result: Pirates win 10-2

Winning Pitcher: Jeff Locke (8-10, 4.43ERA)

Losing Pitcher: Zach Davies (1-1, 6.60ERA)

• What went right:
  • Jeff Locke may have been pitching for his spot in the rotation and he didn’t disappoint. He went 6.1 innings, allowed one run on three hits and struck out seven. He had maybe his best start in months. He kept the Brewers off-balance well into the seventh inning.
  • J-Hay All Day! Josh Harrison was a late addition to the lineup and was the game’s offensive MVP. He went 4-4 with a walk and two runs scored.
  • Michael Morse hit his first home run as a Pirate and it was of the grand slam variety. He came off the bench and delivered the crushing blow. He ended up going 1-1 with a home run and four RBI.
  • Brewers went 0-7 with runners in scoring position. They had some opportunities, but were never able to get the big hit to put them back in the game.

• What went wrong:
  • Kyle Lohse settled the game down initially out of the bullpen. He went 2.1 innings, allowed zero runs on three hits and struck out two.
  • Andrew McCutchen grounded into a double play in the sixth inning.
  • Ryan Braun was effective as always against the Pirates. He went 2-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
  • Joe Blanton had a rare hiccup. He went one inning, allowed one run on two hits and struck out one.

The Pirates were on the right side of a blowout against the Brewers and took the advantage in the series. They sought a series win by sending Filthy Frankie to the mound against a young nemeis.

Next: Game Four: Liriano vs. Jungmann?

Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Game Four: Francisco Liriano (10-7, 3.28ERA) vs. Taylor Jungmann (9-6, 2.87ERA)

Result: Pirates win 7-6 (11 innings)

Winning Pitcher: Jared Hughes (3-1, 2.43ERA)

Losing Pitcher: Tyler Thornburg (0-1, 3.38ERA)

• What went right:
  • Top of the order was awesome. Josh Harrison, Neil Walker and Andrew McCutchen were a fantastic combo at the top of the lineup They went a combined 5-16 with two RBI and two runs scored.
  • Travis Snider started the comeback by hitting a key double in the fourth inning. He went 1-3 with two RBI on the day.
  • The bullpen was fantastic as they held the Brewers in check from the fourth inning on.
  • Jared Hughes got a huge double play with runners on first and third and one out in the top of the 11^th inning to help set up the win.

• What went wrong:
  • Francisco Liriano was not very strong as he lasted only 2.1 innings, allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits and struck out four.
  • The Pirates gifted the Brewers the first two runs of the game by allowing Jean Segura and Ryan Braun to steal second and third uncontested.
  • Pedro Alvarez grounded into a double play to end seventh inning.
  • Jean Segura was a table setter all day for the Brewers as he went 3-5 with a walk and two runs scored.

Next: Final thoughts

Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

I imagine not many Pittsburgh Pirates fans were confident when the Brewers showed up to PNC Park, but the Pirates are one of the best home teams in the league for a reason and they followed up a very disappointing extra inning by winning three straight against the team that won seven in a row against them entering the series. The Pirates didn’t play their best series, but they did enough to win and they won in a variety of ways. They won a close game, a blowout and a huge come from behind win. That’s the Pirates in a nutshell; they find different ways to win every night.

This series was important for a variety of reason, the most prevalent being the Cardinals have not played very well lately and the Bucs have inched back into the NL Central race. They are now only two and a half games out of first place with three games remaining at home against their arch-rival. It was only a week ago that the NL Central seemed all but lost, but the Pirates are one of the most resilient teams in the league and they will scratch and claw to win the NL Central division because they’ve done the wildcard thing and they are over it.

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The other big reason this series was important was the Chicago Cubs also lost two games to the Phillies, which allowed the Pirates to pad the wildcard lead to four games. Obviously the goal is still the NL Central title, but you would much rather play the Cubs in PNC Park in a potential wildcard game. However, most fans would rather get the automatic berth into the NLDS and let the Cardinals and Cubs battle it out in a single elimination game.

The Pirates have a well deserved off day on Monday before the Cubs come into PNC Park to play four games in three days. The Cubs are only four back of the top wildcard spot and six a half games back of first place. The NL Central has become a true three team race and the Pirates must take care of business against a young and hungry Cubs team. If the Pirates want to catch the Cardinals, they must first beat the Cubs. September baseball is beautiful agony and PNC Park needs to be packed for the Cubs series as this may be the SECOND BIGGEST SERIES OF THE SEASON. The biggest obviously being when the Cardinals next come to PNC Park.

Series Result: Pirates win 3-1

2015 win/loss record: 86-56

2015 series record: 26-14-5

Next: What a difference a year makes for these Pittsburgh Pirates