Pittsburgh 5, Milwaukee 0
When: 7:05 PM ET, Saturday, April 16, 2016
Where: PNC Park, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Temperature:
71°
Umpires:
Home -
James Hoye, 1B -
Chad Fairchild, 2B -
Jim Joyce, 3B -
Toby Basner
Attendance:
34957
By The Sports Xchange
PITTSBURGH -- Andrew McCutchen hit his first home run of the season and Jon Niese combined with two relievers on a three-hitter as the Pittsburgh Pirates blanked the Milwaukee Brewers 5-0 on Saturday night to end their four-game losing streak.
McCutchen hit a solo shot off Taylor Jungmann in the fifth inning to increase the Pirates' lead to 4-0 after they scored three runs in the fourth.
The drive to left field came in the star center fielder's 54th plate appearance. McCutchen was so happy to finally connect that he stopped in front of dugout after rounding the bases, broke into a big smile and raised his hands skyward.
Niese (2-1) won his second straight start as he gave up all three hits while walking three and striking out three after the Pirates were tagged for 30 runs during their skid. Acquired from the New York Mets in an offseason trade, the left-hander also notched a win Monday at Detroit.
Tony Watson and Mark Melancon pitched one scoreless inning each to finish the shutout. Melancon struck out the side.
Jungmann (0-2) had his road woes continue as he allowed four runs and six hits in six innings with six strikeouts and one walk. The Brewers have lost Jungmann's last nine starts away from Milwaukee and he is 0-8 with 9.39 ERA in those games.
The Pirates (6-6) got back to .500 after winning for just the second time in eight games since beginning the season 4-0. The Brewers (5-6) lost for the third time in four games.
Last season, as a rookie, Jungmann went 3-0 with a 2.42 ERA in four starts against the Pirates.
Josh Harrison had two hits and drove in two runs for the Pirates, including an RBI single in the eighth inning that closed the scoring. Francisco Cervelli also had two hits.
Pirates leadoff hitter John Jaso extended his hitting streak to seven games with a third-inning single He has reached base in all 11 of his games this season.
The Pirates broke a scoreless tie with a three-run fourth after leaving runners in scoring position in each of the previous two innings.
Starling Marte led off with a double and scored on Gregory Polanco's ground out. Harrison hit an RBI triple and came home on Jordy Mercer's sacrifice fly.
McCutchen raised the Pirates' advantage to 4-0 in the fifth inning with his solo blast to left.
NOTES: Pirates LHP Francisco Liriano (strained right hamstring) threw in the bullpen before the game and declared himself ready to start Tuesday night at San Diego, though manager Clint Hurdle said he was not quite ready to commit to that plan. Liriano was scratched from his scheduled start Wednesday against Detroit. ... Brewers CF Keon Broxton was out the lineup as the rookie is off to 0-for-16 start this season. INF/OF Ramon Flores started in center field. ... The Brewers will recall RHP Zach Davies from Triple-A Colorado Springs to start Sunday against Pirates RHP Juan Nicasio (1-1, 5.50) in the finale of the three-game series. Davies is 0-0 with a 2.00 ERA in two starts for Colorado Springs this season.
Top Game Performances
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Hits |
HR |
TB |
Avg |
LOB |
K |
RBI |
BB |
SB |
Errors |
| Milwaukee
|
3 |
0 |
4 |
.107 |
14 |
6 |
0 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
| Pittsburgh
|
8 |
1 |
15 |
.276 |
19 |
8 |
5 |
6 |
1 |
0 |
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