The Pittsburgh Pirates had won back-to-back games in a series at Milwaukee only once in the past seven seasons, so the odds were against them when the game went into extra innings.
They defied expectations with a three-run 10th inning.
Bryan Reynolds hit an RBI single to drive in automatic runner Henry Davis for the go-ahead run, then Nick Gonzales capped a three-hit night with a two-run single to propel the Pirates to a 6-3 win over the Brewers on Saturday night at American Family Field.
“I’m excited to hit in those moments,” Gonzales told SportsNet Pittsburgh in an on-field postgame interview. “When there’s a runner in scoring position, that’s all I can think about is getting that run in.”
Gonzales had his fourth multi-hit game in the past six games to improve his batting average to .302. He is hitting .417 (10 for 24) with runners in scoring position this season.
“That’s more than half the battle, is wanting that moment,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said on the SportsNet Pittsburgh postgame show. “When you get that opportunity, to have confidence in yourself, knowing that you belong in the batter’s box in that moment. He’s swinging the bat like it right now. … He has a knack for driving runs in. When he’s himself, confident and going up there and swinging at the right pitches, he’s a really good run producer.”
After a 6-0 win Friday night in the series opener, the Pirates (16-11) won back-to-back games for the first time since beating the NL Central rival Chicago Cubs on April 10-11. The Pirates have opened the season by winning three consecutive series against divisional opponents — the Cincinnati Reds, Cubs and now Brewers — for only the third time since 1994. The St. Louis Cardinals and Reds will visit PNC Park next week.
“Milwaukee’s kind of got our number sometimes, here especially,” Gonzales said. “This year, we’ve got the guys to do it. We’ve got the pitching and a bunch of gritty guys out there. We’re excited to keep going and see what this division has. Obviously, it’s really good, and we’re really good, too.”
Pirates starter Mitch Keller gave up three runs on five hits and two walks and tied a season high with six strikeouts but twice allowed the Brewers to tie the score in the same inning after the Pirates took a one-run lead. But five relievers combined to blank the Brewers over the final five innings.
Brewers starter Jacob Misiorowski averaged 100.5 mph on 56 fastballs, hitting triple digits 39 times, 101 21 times and topping out at 102.7 mph. He allowed three runs on six hits and one walk with nine strikeouts.
The 6-foot-7 right-hander fanned four of the first seven batters he faced, had six strikeouts through the first three innings. But the Pirates got to him in the fourth, which began with Misiorowski hitting Reynolds with a pitch. Spencer Horwitz singled to score Reynolds for a 1-0 lead and Konnor Griffin singled to drive in Gonzales for a 2-0 edge.
The Brewers answered by taking advantage of defensive mishaps. Jake Bauers — who broke up Paul Skenes’ perfect game with a single in the seventh inning Friday night — got their first hit off Mitch Keller with a single to left and advanced to second on an error by left fielder Jake Mangum, who overran the ball.
Tyler Black doubled on a pop fly that dropped in shallow left to put runners on second and third, and Bauers scored on Garrett Mitchell’s sharp groundout to short to cut it to 2-1. Sal Frelick followed with a sacrifice fly to right to drive in Black to tie the game.
Misiorowski started the sixth by hitting Ryan O’Hearn with a pitch. This one also came back to hurt him when O’Hearn advanced to third on a Gonzales single and scored on a sacrifice fly to left by Horwitz to give the Pirates a 3-2 lead.
But the Brewers responded with back-to-back singles by Bauers and Black. Isaac Mattson replaced Keller and got Mitchell to ground into a forceout at second, but Frelick followed with another sacrifice fly to right to score Bauers to make it 3-3.
The Brewers threatened to take the lead with two outs in the eighth, when Mitchell doubled off the right-field wall, and Frelick was intentionally walked. But Dennis Santana got Greg Jones swinging at a 2-2 slider for a strikeout to end the inning.
With one out in the 10th, Kelly had right-handed hitter Marcell Ozuna pinch-hit for Brandon Lowe against Brewers lefty Angel Zerpa. Ozuna drew a walk then was replaced by pinch runner Nick Yorke, who advanced to second on Reynolds’ single.
After getting O’Hearn to ground out, Zerpa was replaced by Grant Anderson. But Gonzales singled to left to score Yorke, and Reynolds on an error by Jones to give the Pirates a three-run cushion.
That was enough for Yohan Ramirez, who got William Contreras to ground out to third, Bauers looking at a called third strike on a curveball and Black swinging at a sweeper to end the game.
Kelly credited his players for their willingness to grind out at-bats against Misiorowski and play “gritty, dirtbag baseball.” Kelly believes the Pirates have to continue to embrace that identity all season.
“You know what? We need to keep earning it,” Kelly said. “It’s a daily thing. That’s something that I don’t want to feel, and I don’t want the guys to feel. We certainly haven’t made it. We still need to keep grinding it out and getting after it and continue to earn that respect every day.”