The All-Star Break is officially here, but for the Milwaukee Brewers, it feels less like a celebration and more like a much-needed escape after their pitching staff coughed up a mind-boggling 14 runs today. This brutal 14-5 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the series finale right before the break continued a rough trend for Milwaukee, proving once again that playing the Pirates before the mid-season pause never bodes well for the blue and yellow.
When the Wheels Fell Off: A Nightmare in Pittsburgh
You know how it goes with this Brewers squad on the road trip, right? Their opponents keep taking the lead first, and this game was no different. The Pirates jumped on them early, with Ryan O’Hearn cracking a double to right field in the bottom of the second, bringing in the first run. Just a couple of at-bats later, Jackson Chourio nearly made an incredible play, but Henry Davis's shot sailed over the wall for his eighth two-run homer of the year. Suddenly, Milwaukee was staring down a 4-0 deficit.
The offense tried to punch back in the fourth. Chourio laced a double to score Christian Yelich, cutting the lead to 4-1. Then Gary Sánchez grounded out, driving in another run to make it 4-2. For a brief moment, it felt like they were in it. But then the bottom of the fourth happened, and it was a full-blown nightmare. Every single Pirates hitter reached base before the Brewers could even record an out. Seriously, every one! That quickly blew the game wide open to 11-2. And if that wasn't bad enough, after the first out, the Pirates tacked on two more runs, pushing it to an insurmountable 14-2. That was all the offense Pittsburgh needed, leaving the Brewers to pick up the pieces, eventually getting a two-run homer from Brice Turang and an RBI double from Garrett Mitchell in the eighth to limp to a 14-5 final score.
Pitching Staff's Catastrophe and a Sliver of Hope
There's no sugarcoating it: the pitching was an absolute disaster this afternoon. The day started with Jacob Misiorowski being scratched, and the news that Brandon Woodruff is heading to the 60-day injured list. What a blow!
On the mound, Robert Gasser got absolutely shelled, pulled after three innings having given up seven runs on eight hits, including two homers. Then Jared Koenig came in and didn't even record an out, getting tagged for five runs on two hits and two walks. Yikes. Grant Anderson finished one inning but still allowed two runs on three hits. The only bright spot in this pitching inferno? Bryse Wilson, making his return, actually delivered, throwing three scoreless innings, giving up only two hits and striking out four batters. Thank goodness for that!
Offensively, Chourio was the only one with a multi-hit game, and Turang’s homer was clutch for his two RBIs. Braden Shewmake had a tough debut, going 0-for-2 with two strikeouts before Andrew Vaughn stepped in. The All-Star Break is here, which means most of the week is quiet. But for the Brewers, this break needs to be more than a pause, it’s a chance to figure out what the heck happened to their pitching.
This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.