Pirates Unable to Overcome Rich Hill’s Wildness in 5-4 Loss to Brewers

Recap

In his very next outing after throwing 119 pitches his last time out, Rich Hill struggled on the mound for the Pittsburgh Pirates in their 5-4 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on Friday.

Hill (6-6) issued four free passes in the game’s opening frame, paving the way for a Brewers’ three-run first inning. Hill finished the game allowing four runs (three earned) in five innings. He surrendered three hits, walked six and struck out five.

Right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski made his big league debut after being selected from Triple-A Indianapolis. He struck out Blake Perkins, the first batter he saw, on three pitches before allowing a solo homer to Joey Weimer one batter later.

With the loss, the Brewers (35-34) reclaim the top spot in the National League Central over the Pirates (34-34).

Key Moment

Trailing by a run in the top of the ninth inning, the Pirates had runners on second and third with one out and the bases loaded with two outs but were unable to push across a run.

Star of the Game

Brewers starter Julio Teheran (2-2) held the Pirates to only a pair of runs and just a single hit across six strong innings on the mound.

Hidden Stat

Austin Hedges was called for another catcher’s interference in this one, making it four on the season in only 41 games for the backstop.

Noteworthy

• Carlos Santana connected on a solo home run in the top of the second, giving him three in his last seven games. Santana had only three homers in his first 53 games of the season.
• Hill’s six walks are the most he’s had in a game since May 24, 2017 while pitching with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Entering play, Hill had not walked more than three in a game this season.
• The Pirates have now lost all four games to begin the road trip after finishing up a 6-3 homestand.

Up Next

The Pirates will rely on Mitch Keller (8-2, 3.41 ERA) to help them break out of their funk on Saturday afternoon. Lefty Wade Miley (3-2, 3.67 ERA) will start for Milwaukee. First pitch: 4:05 ET.