Civale strong, offense sharp in Brewers’ 5-2 win over Pirates

The Brewers got an all-around good day from the team

Box Score

Finishing out their NL Central schedule on Thursday, the Brewers had one final game against the Pirates this season. Even though the two teams are on different ends of the postseason picture, the Pirates had played the Brewers to a 6-6 tie in the season series. The Brewers wouldn’t let the Pirates get this win, though. They took the final game against the Pirates to clinch the season series between the two.

Aaron Civale made his final start of the regular season and was impressive in his final tune-up before the postseason. He needed just 86 pitches to get through six innings, allowing three hits and one walk. He also added five strikeouts.

This was despite two errors that put Civale into a couple of jams. In the second inning, a fielding error by Willy Adames allowed Andrew McCutchen to reach base to start the inning. A Nick Gonzales single put two runners on base, but Civale escaped the inning. Deja vu hit the next inning when a throwing error from Joey Ortiz allowed Isiah Kiner-Falefa to reach, and a Bryan Reynolds single put two runners on again. Civale once again escaped the jam, thanks in part to a pickoff of Oneil Cruz at first base.

Civale did get some help from the defense in this one. Brice Turang continued his amazing defensive season with another great throw, further establishing his case for a Gold Glove.

Meanwhile, the Brewers’ offense put together an all-around strong day. Their first scoring chance came in the second inning when Jake Bauers used some small ball and good baserunning. He started with a one-out single, advanced to second on a balk, then stole third as Blake Perkins drew a walk. Unfortunately, the scoring chance was erased when Sal Frelick grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Ortiz put the Brewers right back into scoring position to start the third, leading off the inning with a triple. Two batters later, Turang grounded to first, and Jared Triolo chose to get Turang rather than try for the throw at home. It was an effective groundout and the Brewers had a 1-0 lead.

The Brewers had another scoring chance in the fourth after Adames singled and stole second, but he was left there to end the inning. In the next inning, the Brewers had a leadoff batter in scoring position again after Frelick hit a double. Ortiz bunted him over to third, then Eric Haase hit his own double. Turang followed that up with a single to score Haase, and the Brewers were up 3-0 after five innings.

The scoring didn’t stop there, as the Brewers brought out the double ball in the sixth inning. Rhys Hoskins started off the inning with a double, then Perkins had his own double (the ground-rule variety) to bring in Hoskins. Another successful sacrifice bunt, this time from Frelick, moved Perkins up. Joey Ortiz made that one count as well with the third double of the inning, and the Brewers increased their lead to 5-0.

The one blemish for the pitching staff came in the seventh inning. Nick Mears, fresh off the injured list, entered the game with a 5-0 lead. Unfortunately, he walked Gonzales and then allowed a home run to Bryan De La Cruz, giving the Pirates some life as the gap closed to 5-2. Mears ended up leaving the game after getting hit by a ball from Liover Peguero, and Joel Payamps finished up the seventh.

From there, the bullpen shut down the Pirates the rest of the way. Jared Koenig worked around a walk for a scoreless inning. He got some help from an unconventional double play, getting a force of McCutchen at first before getting Cruz, who had overrun second base on his second baserunning blunder of the day. Devin Williams took the ninth and allowed a one-out double to Gonzales but nothing else as he locked down the save.

Overall, the offense had 14 hits and two walks, plus four stolen bases. Joey Ortiz had a three-hit day with an RBI. Brice Turang drove in two of the Brewers’ five runs. Blake Perkins had a two-hit day. So did Gary Sánchez, who only got two plate appearances after entering the game as a pinch-hitter for William Contreras in the seventh. The team also had five doubles and one triple in the game, and that came without a home run.

With just three games remaining in the regular season, the Brewers head back to Milwaukee to finish out their schedule against the Mets. Frankie Montas will start the first game of the series, and the Mets starter is still TBA. First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m.