The Milwaukee Brewers lost 2-1 to the San Francisco Giants on Sunday, propelling the Pirates back into a three-way tie for third place in the NL Central with the Brewers and Cardinals. That didn’t seem likely after the Pirates’ recent three-game losing streak, but here we are.
Ryan Braun scored the Brewers’ only run with a homer in the first inning. The Giants tied the game in the third with an RBI single by newcomer Jeff Keppinger, then went ahead with a sacrifice fly by Mike Fontenot in the fourth. Madison Bumgarner went 7.2 innings for the Giants, striking out eight.
The Pirates begin a very tough road series against the Atlanta Braves Monday, while the Cardinals begin a homer series against NL Central doormat Houston. The Brewers have the day off, then begin a series against a bad Cubs team. So the Pirates will need to be at their best in the next few days.