Recap: Milwaukee vs. Pittsburgh
Sports Network | July 9, 2010
Milwaukee, WI (Sports Network) – Ryan Braun lined an opposite-field single over Ryan Church’s head in right field to score Rickie Weeks with the game- winning run in the 10th inning, as the Brewers earned a 5-4 comeback win over the Pirates in the opener of a three-game series.
Braun, who earlier in the game snapped out of an 0-for-19 slump, came up with runners on first and second and two outs after Evan Meek (4-3) intentionally walked Prince Fielder and struck the game-winner to end Milwaukee’s five-game slide. Weeks scored without a play at the plate.
“It felt really good. It’s been a tough stretch for me and a tough stretch for the team, so it was a big victory,” Braun said. “There’s a lot of season left, and we just want to focus on playing better baseball.”
Fielder added a solo homer and Corey Hart had a two-run blast in the win, which was credited to John Axford (4-1) after he struck out Pedro Alvarez and Ryan Doumit to strand a runner on third in the top of the 10th.
Doug Davis, in his first start since May 10, surrendered four runs on seven hits and three walks over five innings for Milwaukee, while his counterpart, Paul Maholm, held the Brewers to two runs on three hits and a pair of walks in a seven-inning no-decision.
Andrew McCutchen went 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBI, and Lastings Milledge added two hits with a solo shot for the Pirates, losers of four straight overall.
Milwaukee’s offense was relatively silent after Hart’s two-run blast in the first inning, though Fielder’s moonshot to right in the eighth off Joel Hanrahan cut the Brewers’ deficit to 4-3.
With Octavio Dotel on the hill to start the bottom of the ninth, Carlos Gomez reached base on a one-out bunt single, stole second and moved to third when Doumit’s throw went to center field.
George Kottaras followed with a triple down the right-field line to tie it and nearly scored the winning run seconds later, as Dotel’s pitch got away from Doumit. However, the ball was quickly recovered by the catcher, and Kottaras was thrown out at the plate in plenty of time.
“The guys we ran out there in the eighth, ninth and 10th have done the job all year, but tonight they each gave up a run,” Pirates manager John Russell said of his bullpen. “You don’t see that very often. Unfortunately it happened tonight. It’s a shame.”
Trailing 2-0, Ronny Cedeno doubled starting the third and scored two batters later on McCutchen’s base hit to left.
Milledge tied it, 2-2, in the fourth with his second homer of the season, and McCutchen’s leadoff blast the next frame gave the visitors the lead. Jose Tabata singled after the round-tripper and scored on Pedro Alvarez’s two-out double to right for a 4-2 score.
Davis had been on the disabled list due to chest pain…Tabata also had two hits for Pittsburgh, which had won three of the previous four over the Brewers after losing the first four meetings by a 53-4 margin…The Pirates went 2- for-11 with runners in scoring position.