Corey Knebel
The Colorado Rockies and Chicago Cubs had already lost their games and the Milwaukee Brewers had their closer on the mound with two outs in the 8th inning, trying to secure a victory over Pittsburgh and close the gap in the playoff race.
Corey Knebel hasn’t failed too many times this season, but he let one slip away on Wednesday night at PNC Park. Knebel’s throwing error on a routine play allowed the Pirates to tie the game 4-4 in the 8th inning. Then in the 9th, Knebel served up an Adam Frazier two-run, walk-off home run to send the Brewers to a 6-4 loss.
The Pirates saw their 7-game losing streak come to an end and avoided a sweep at the hands of Milwaukee. Had the Brewers held on, they would have pulled even with the Rockies in the National League wild card race and within 2 1/2 games of the Cubs in the race for the Central Division title.
Chicago’s lead remains 3 1/2 games over the Brewers with 10-games left to play. The Brewers open a crucial four-game series against the Cubs at Miller Park on Thursday night.
Jesus Aguilar and Domingo Santana each homered for the Brewers in the loss.
The Brewers come back home with a bullpen that has been used frequently. The only relievers that didn’t pitch in Wednesday nights loss are Matt Garza, Junior Guerra and Carlos Torres.
Zach Davies (17-9, 3.89) gets the nod for the Brewers in the series opener Thursday night. Jake Arrieta (14-9, 3.48) goes for the Cubs. First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. at Miller Park.
AUDIO: Craig Counsell says Corey Knebel had a rare bad outing :11