MILWAUKEE -- With plenty of support from his offense, JT Brubaker was the first Pirates starter to complete six innings during a 6-1 victory against the Brewers at American Family Field in Milwaukee. The win opens a nine-game road swing for the Pirates following a 4-3 homestand.
Brubaker has a 1.76 ERA through three starts this season. The crowd in Milwaukee did not take kindly to the right-hander, who bullied the top of the lineup for much of the night, holding the Brewers to a run on four hits while striking out eight and plunking three batters.
The 27-year-old defined his night in two battles with Travis Shaw. First, he struck out the lefty slugger with the bases loaded and two outs in the third, then he got him to strand a pair of runners with a ground out in the fifth. Shaw also popped the final out of the seventh with the bases loaded against Sam Howard and was responsible for eight of the nine runners left on base by the Brewers in the contest.
Brubaker threw 83 pitches, 54 strikes, and faced the minimum in every other inning.
Milwaukee was without Christian Yelich, who stayed on the bench with back stiffness, and Lorenzo Cain, who hit the injured list Wednesday with a quadriceps strain.
Some of the Pirates' hottest hitters from the homestand kept it going in Milwaukee. Adam Frazier produced his second multi-hit game in the past three days. He rolled a two-run triple into the right-field corner against lefty reliever Brent Suter in the fifth, then scored on Bryan Reynolds’ double. Frazier also reached on an infield single and was caught stealing.
Reynolds’ double was his first extra-base hit since April 10.
Colin Moran and Gregory Polanco both homered in the winning effort. Moran drilled his third homer of the year to open the scoring. The 28-year-old also walked and has hit safely in 11 of the Pirates’ 14 games this season. His four-game hit streak has produced a pair of extra-base hits and three RBIs. Polanco's was a two-run shot off 2020 Rookie of the Year Devin Williams.
Howard, Chris Stratton, Kyle Crick and Duane Underwood Jr. combined to hold the Brewers scoreless after the fifth. Stratton struck out a pair, but gave way to Howard after loading the bases.
The victory moves the Pirates ahead of the Cubs and out of last place in the division.
More coverage to come from American Family Field in Milwaukee.