Box Score
It seems safe to say that Brewers left-hander Kyle Harrison will not be on the postseason roster.
Harrison, who recorded the first five outs of today’s game against the Pirates working around just a first-inning double, then gave up three hits, two walks, and hit two batters with two outs in the second, allowing five runs (four earned) by the time he exited.
Harrison entered his August 31 start against the Cubs with a 2.79 ERA over 103 1/3 innings this season, but he now sits with a 4.25 ERA over 112 1/3 innings, allowing 24 runs (21 earned) over his last nine innings across four appearances. The velocity is still there, but the shape is not, and it’s all but a certainty with less than two weeks until the postseason that Harrison will not be on the roster this postseason.
That’s the bad news.
The good news?
Milwaukee’s bullpen (mostly) picked him up to get the finish line.
While the Brewers ultimately lost 7-4, the bullpen worked the last 6 1/3 innings, allowing just a two-run homer in the eighth, and right-hander Garrett Stallings once again turned in a great relief appearance.
The Brewers struck first in this one, as Gary Sánchez, Sal Frelick, and David Hamilton hit a trio of singles in the top of the second to plate a run, putting the Crew up 1-0.
After striking out Brandon Lowe and inducing a groundout from Nick Gonzales to begin the second, things quickly went awry for Harrison.
He walked Ronny Simon, allowed an infield single to Jared Triolo, and a catcher’s interference by Bo Naylor (which officially counts as an E2) loaded the bases. It only got worse from there, as the rookie Konnor Griffin hit a two-run double and Oneil Cruz followed with a two-run single to make it 4-1 Pittsburgh.
Harrison then hit Bryan Reynolds with a pitch, loaded the bases again with a walk of Rafael Flores Jr., and hit Lowe to make it 5-1 before Pat Murphy was forced to pull him.
Chad Patrick entered and struck out Gonzales, but the damage was done.
Neither team had much of a threat after that until the sixth inning, when the Brewers got one back with a Joey Ortiz walk, Frelick single, and a Naylor forceout on what should have been a double play ball — Griffin threw the ball into the first-base dugout, allowing Ortiz to score and cut the lead to 5-2.
The Brewers continued to chip away in the eighth inning against Luke Weaver, as Garrett Mitchell doubled and scored after advancing on a pair of flyouts by Ortiz and Frelick. Naylor then followed with a solo home run that barely made it over the 21-foot wall in right field, as a young Brewer fan appeared to possibly reach over to (unsuccessfully) grab the ball. The homer call stood after review, and suddenly it was 5-4.
After Cooper Pratt kept the pressure on with a single up the middle, Pirates manager Don Kelly opted to go to his closer Mason Montgomery, who walked Brice Turang but got out of the inning with a strikeout of Luis Lara.
Aaron Ashby took over for Stallings — who pitched three scoreless innings from the fourth through the seventh, allowing just a hit and a walk while striking out six — in the eighth looking to preserve the one-run deficit. He wasn’t able to do it, though, as he allowed a single and a homer to Henry Davis, extending Pittsburgh’s lead to 7-4.
Andrew Vaughn drew a one-out walk in the ninth, but he was left stranded there and the Brewers were unable to complete the sweep in Pittsburgh.
It was a very rough day for Harrison (1 2/3 IP, 5 R (4 ER), 4 H, 2 BB, 2 HBP, 2 K) and home plate umpire James Hoye (nine overturned calls on 11 challenges), but a good day for Patrick (1 1/3 IP, 1 BB, 2 K), JoJo Romero (1 IP, 1 K), and Stallings, who has yet to allow a run over 14 major league innings this season.
Offensively, the Brewers finished the day with nine hits and six walks, but they didn’t do quite enough to make up for Pittsburgh’s five-run second inning. Frelick was the only player with two hits, while Naylor, Turang, and Ortiz each reached twice with a hit and a walk.
The Brewers will look to shake this one off as they continue their road trip in Baltimore this weekend. Dustin May gets the ball in Friday’s series opener, while the Orioles have yet to announce a starter (though it’s expected to be Cade Povich). First pitch in that one is at 6:05 p.m. See you then.
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