It wasn’t a thing of beauty. The Milwaukee Brewers managed just 5-hits and fell behind 3-0 in the first inning. But they rebounded for a 4-3 win over the Pirates at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.
This time the bullpen didn’t cave in for the Brewers. Newcomer John Axeford tossed two scoreless innings and Carlos Villanueva came on to pitch the 9th and record his first save of the season.
Catcher George Kottaras entered the game after Gregg Zaun left with an injury. He doubled in a run to help the Brewers rally.
Lefty Chris Narveson spotted the Pirates 3-runs in the first inning, then, with the help of the Brewers bullpen, held the Pirates scoreless the rest of the way. The win allowed the Brewers to avoid the ninth losing streak of at least 10 games in franchise history. They hadn’t lost 10-straight since the 2006 season.
The Brewers open inter-league play tonight at Target Field in Minnesota against the Twins.
