Brewers use 3-run 2nd inning to overtake Pirates in opening game of last homestand

The first game of the final home game of the season for the Pittsburgh Pirates went wrong in the second inning.

Bailey Falter allowed three runs on three hits against the Milwaukee Brewers, who added another three-run inning in the seventh inning to beat the Pirates 7-2 in front of 14,020 spectators at PNC Park on Tuesday night.

The Brewers (90-67), who had already secured the NL Central Division title, took a 6-5 lead in the season series against the Pirates (73-84) with two games to go.

Falter (8-9) allowed four runs on five hits and a walk and had five strikeouts in five innings. After pitching a clean first inning and allowing a third strike to Gary Sanchez early in the second inning, Falter allowed three runs in a 34-pitch inning.

“It didn't look like his breaking ball was as sharp as it has been in the other starts,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “We've seen a really sharp breaking ball in his last two appearances, but it just hasn't been as consistent as it has been before.”

Falter, who set a career-high 139 1/3 innings, appears to have started to feel fatigue in late September. His slider generated 13 swings with just two whiffs on 29 pitches against the Brewers.

“Yeah, it hasn't been this good in a long time. This time of year,” Falter said. “The body gets a little tired. That's it.”

Willy Adames hit a single, stole second base and scored on Sal Frelick's double over the outstretched glove of Bryan De La Cruz in right field, giving the Brewers a 1-0 lead. Then Joey Ortiz hit a two-run single to center to bring in Rhys Hoskins and Frelick and make it 3-0.

The Pirates responded by scoring two runs in the second. Joey Bart hit a leadoff single to left and reached third base on a double by De La Cruz. Bart scored on Jared Triolo's single to left to cut the score to 3-1, and Nick Yorke's sacrifice fly to right brought De La Cruz home to make it 3-2.

Adames opened the fourth with a double to the left field corner, advanced to third base on Frelick's flyout to center and scored on a fielder's choice by Ortiz that left Pirates rookie first baseman Billy Cook making an errant throw to second base. Jackson Chourio hit a single to right to load the bases, but Falter got Blake Perkins to pop out to short to escape.

“Hoskins made a pretty good baserunning play when you look back at it,” Shelton said of Cook's error. “He's about three steps on the turf where he should be, and Billy has to step to the side or go to bat.”

The Brewers scored two runs off Isaac Mattson on two walks with one out and the bases loaded to extend their lead to 6-2. Adames scored a run on a full count and Hoskins scored on four pitches, prompting the Pirates to bring in left-hander Joey Wentz. Frelick brought in William Contreras on a sacrifice fly to center, giving the Brewers a four-run lead.

“It looked like he started cutting the ball,” Shelton said of Mattson. “I mean, what, four walks in that inning? Just control of the fastball. He's a strike pitcher, and it looked like he just lost his throwing technique and control of the fastball. He was not only missing to his arm side, but he was missing to his arm side.”

The Pirates were able to get back-to-back singles by Triolo (3 for 4) and Yorke to start the seventh, but Cook went down at the sight of a third strike and Isiah Kiner-Falefa managed a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.

De La Cruz worked a leadoff walk in the ninth inning, advanced to second base on Triolo's single to center and to third on Yorke's flyout to right, but pinch hitter Joshua Palacios misfired and Kiner-Falefa worked a forceout at second base to end the game.

“We had good hitting opportunities late in the game,” Shelton said. “We had a chance in the seventh inning and got a double play. We had 10 hits and some pretty good swings.”