Peralta dazzles, but offense hard to find in 2-1 loss to Pirates

Brewers can’t stir up much offense in tight loss to Pittsburgh

Box Score

The Brewers’ offense was lackluster in their 2-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates, but there were some encouraging takeaways as the team prepares for the playoffs.

Freddy Peralta continued his recent run of form, looking every bit the ace that the Brewers need to lead them in October. He finished with 5 ¹⁄₃ innings and two earned runs, striking out seven in the process. Those punchouts helped him cross the prestigious 200-strikeout mark for the second consecutive season.

Those two earned runs might tarnish his box score, but they came near the end of his start after a brilliant beginning. The Pirates didn’t get a single baserunner until the fourth inning on a base hit by Isiah Kiner-Falefa. He stole second base and advanced to third on a groundout, but the Pirates clearly needed efforts like that to threaten Peralta.

In the bottom of the fifth, Peralta led his own undoing with a pair of walks. Liover Peguero hit a double to score both runs, a hard-earned at-bat that ended on the eighth pitch. It was very nearly a scoreless start for Peralta if Peguero had whiffed on one of two foul balls when the at-bat sat with two strikes. Although the Pirates did indeed score those two runs, it was broadly a successful start for Peralta.

The Brewers offense, meanwhile, struggled mightily against Pirates starter Luis L. Ortiz. He pitched seven innings for the Bucs, allowing one run and holding the Brewers to a paltry four hits.

Milwaukee nibbled all night long but failed to put together a meaningful rally or big inning.

To lead off the game, Brice Turang came back from an 0-2 count to walk and then stole second base. The Brewers made Ortiz work to get out of the inning, tallying over 20 pitches in that first frame, but couldn’t bring around the run.

In the second inning, Jake Bauers knocked a 402-foot home run to score Milwaukee’s only run. It’s been a rough few weeks for Bauers, batting just .160 over the last 30 days, so hopefully these last few games will help him find his stride as playoff rosters and potential matchups get sorted out.

William Conteras led off the fourth inning with a single and a stolen base to once again get a runner in scoring position. It was too little, though, as two easy groundouts kept the Brewers’ bats quiet.

The last hit for Milwaukee came in the ninth inning, facing a 2-1 deficit. Willy Adames singled on a line drive to left field, but the ball deflected off Bryan Reynolds’ chest. Although Adames was slowly trotting through first base, the mishap encouraged him to go for second base. Reynolds recovered quickly enough to deliver a good throw, ensuring there was plenty of time to tag out Adames several feet before the bag.

While the faltering performance from the offense wasn’t much to get excited about, once again the bullpen proved its worth. After Peralta’s strong start, the relievers did their job to give the offense that final chance to fight their way back into the game.

Aaron Ashby entered for 1 ²⁄₃ innings of relief, looking dominant with three strikeouts. He’s been terrific in September, pitching to a 2.45 ERA in seven appearances. More notably, he’s struck out 17 batters in 11 innings of work.

DL Hall was the second member of the bullpen to get in on the action, pitching a scoreless inning for his brief cameo.

This game might get lost in the record books given its lack of impact on the playoff race, but it was a subtle reminder of how this Brewers team can succeed in the playoffs. If Peralta is pitching at his best with an elite bullpen behind him, the Brewers will make for an exciting watch in the postseason.

The Brewers still have a chance to win the series (and the season series) in tomorrow’s matinee. First pitch is set for 12:35 p.m. Aaron Civale will be the starter for Milwaukee, matching up against Mitch Keller.