The Milwaukee Brewers failed to score a single run and they moved a step closer to playoff elimination, falling 1-0 to the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on Sunday.
The Brewers dropped two of three in the series and fell 4 1/2 games behind the Pirates for the final wildcard spot in the National League. The Brewers have six games left in the regular season, while the Pirates have seven. It leaves the Brewers in a position where they’ll have to win all six of their remaining games and get some help.
In the six road games, the Brewers starting pitching staff has managed to score only 12 runs. But on the flip side, the Brewers have scored just eight runs in those same six games.
Wily Peralta kept the Pirates off the scoreboard until the seventh. Andrew McCutchen led off with a roller to the left side for an infield hit and moved to second on a passed ball by catcher Jonathan Lucroy. He then moved to third on a wild pitch before Russell Martin then stroked a single up the middle to give the Pirates the only run they would need. Peralta fell to 16-11, allowing five hits and three walks while striking out four.
Vance Worley held the Brewers off the scoreboard for eight innings, but the Brewers had a chance against reliever Tony Watson in the ninth. But a bad base-running mistake by Carlos Gomez, who singled to lead off, squelched the opportunity.
The Pirates finished up their home schedule with a 51-30 record at PNC Park. The Brewers are 41-37 at Miller Park, with three more games there against the Chicago Cubs.
The Brewers are off today. They’ll open a 3-game series in Cincinnati on Tuesday night.