Kyle Lohse worked 8 2/3 dominant innings yesterday as the Milwaukee
Kyle Lohse / UPI-Bill Greenblatt
Brewers earned their 9th straight win, 4-1 over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Brewers improved to a Major League best 10-2, their best start since running off 13-straight wins to start the 1987 season.
Lohse needed just 15-pitches to complete the first two innings and wound up allowing just 4-hits while striking out 9.
Lohse retired Starling Marte on a groundout to lead off the bottom of the ninth. He then got Jose Tabata to line out before giving up a 2-out hit to Andrew McCutchen. That’s when Ron Roenicke came out to get Lohse in favor of left-handed reliever Will Smith, as the 32,152 booed the manager for not letting Lohse finish.
AUDIO: Ron Roenicke on removing Lohse with 2-outs in the 9th :13
AUDIO: Kyle Lohse says he would have liked to have finished :17
Will Smith struck out Pedro Alvarez on three pitches to earn his first career save.
Brewers starting pitchers have now allowed three earned runs or fewer in 26 consecutive games. That is a franchise record.
The Brewers will shoot for their 10th straight victory tonight when they open a 3-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals in the first of a three game series tonight.