As the Milwaukee Brewers chase home-field advantage throughout the postseason, they are dealing with a bullpen ravaged by injuries as well as the absence of other key lineup contributors.
But the Brewers continue to have pitchers and players step up when needed, as Quinn Priester and Jake Bauers did Friday in a 5-2 win over the host Pittsburgh Pirates (64-78).
Milwaukee (87-55), with the best record in the majors, will turn to Brandon Woodruff (5-2, 3.69 ERA) to deliver another quality start when he opposes fellow right-hander Mitch Keller (6-13, 4.21) on Saturday night in the second game of a three-game series.
Priester secured his franchise-record 11th consecutive winning decision on Friday, pitching seven innings and allowing two runs. Bauers, who served as designated hitter with Christian Yelich dealing with lower back soreness, drove in the two runs that gave the Brewers the lead for good.
Priester’s effort spared Milwaukee from taxing its short-handed pen, which lost Nick Mears after he was placed on the 15-day injured list with lower back tightness.
“It’s just tough right now,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “We’ll deal with it the best way we can. You look around, everybody’s had injuries. It just seems like we’ve had more than anybody. And I’m not complaining, because our guys step up every time.”
But while Priester has done nothing but win since mid-May, Woodruff had three consecutive rough outings to finish his month of August.
In his most recent start last Sunday in Toronto, Woodruff allowed five earned runs (eight overall) on a season-high 10 hits, walked two and struck out three in an 8-4 loss to the Blue Jays. It was the second consecutive start in which he allowed a season-high five earned runs.
Woodruff is 1-2 with an 8.16 ERA over his past three starts. He last faced the Pirates on Aug. 13, in his start prior to that tough stretch, and pitched four shutout innings in a 12-5 Milwaukee win. In 18 career appearances, including 16 starts against Pittsburgh, Woodruff is 7-3 with a 3.25 ERA.
The Pirates (64-78), who were coming off a three-game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers before losing on Friday, will try to get back to their recent role of spoilers.
Keller lost his previous start Sunday at Boston despite not allowing an earned run. He was cruising until an error to open the fifth inning, a hit by pitch and an inside-the-park, three-run home run by Jarren Duran led to a four-run inning for the Red Sox, who won 5-2.
Keller has suffered losses in three of his past four starts. He opposed Woodruff on Aug. 13 at Milwaukee and gave up six runs on eight hits, struck out five and walked two over four innings in a 12-5 setback.
“I just didn’t execute it as high as I wanted to,” Keller told SportsNet Pittsburgh after the Sunday start about the belt-high fastball that Duran hit. “Looking back, I’d probably throw something else, but I can’t take it back now. He’s a good player. That was a big moment, and he’s a big-moment player. He executed and I didn’t, and that’s the difference in the game.”
After placing Mears on the IL, the Brewers recalled right-hander Carlos Rodriguez from Triple-A Nashville.
The Pirates reinstated reliever Kyle Nicolas, who pitched a scoreless inning in Friday’s game, from the bereavement list. Pittsburgh optioned Cam Sanders to Triple-A Indianapolis.
–Field Level Media
