Brewers manager Pat Murphy on Logan Henderson’s adjustments to majors
Logan Henderson’s first two starts with the Brewers were excellent, as he allowed three runs over 11 innings with 16 strikeouts.
PITTSBURGH – Carlos Rodriguez waited nearly two months for his callback to the major leagues.
What was another 1 hour 50 minutes for a rain delay?
The right-hander successfully bridged two halves of the Milwaukee Brewers’ matchup with the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on Thursday night, May 22, helping seal up an 8-5 victory that featured several other bright spots.
BOX SCORE: Brewers 8, Pirates 5
Christian Yelich homered twice and Joey Ortiz once to fuel the team’s largest scoring output in eight days and Aaron Civale returned to action for the first time since March 30 with a four-inning start, inching the Brewers that much closer to full health in their rotation.
Yelich finished with four runs batted in and Sal Frelick a pair.
But it was Rodriguez in particular who deserved to be singled out, as he contributed 3 ⅓ innings in all, allowing five hits, three runs and four walks with two strikeouts in a 74-pitch outing that got Milwaukee’s bullpen a desperately needed blow and the 23-year-old his first major-league win in the process.
Some much-needed insurance
Jackson Chourio led off the eighth with a double, marking the third time he’d reached base on the night.
Yelich was intentionally walked, then with two outs Isaac Collins and Sal Frelick each singled with Collins driving in Chourio and Frelick driving in Yelich and Collins after Collins stole second to stretch the lead out to 8-3.
Rodriguez was given a chance to finish the game up but faltered in the ninth, allowing a pair of walks and then a run-scoring double to Bryan Reynolds that cut Milwaukee’s lead to 8-4.
Closer Trevor Megill was then called in to record the final three outs.
Christian Yelich goes deep again
With one out in the sixth, Yelich drilled a center-cut changeup from Isaac Matson 110.7 mph and 415 feet out to right-center, extending Milwaukee’s lead to 5-2.
It gave Yelich the 11th multi-homer game of his career, and first of the season.
Rodriguez retired the first two batters he faced in the bottom of the frame, then allowed consecutive doubles and a walk making it 5-3 before the umpires called for the tarp with heavy rains swamping the area.
Play resumed after 1 hour 50 minutes with Rodriguez once again taking the mound and he ultimately won a seven-pitch battle with Reynolds by striking him out, stranding two and keeping Milwaukee in the lead at 5-3.
Two innings, two homers for the Brewers
Two batters into the second inning, Milwaukee got its second homer. And from an unlikely source – Ortiz – who lined a 109.1-mph laser right down the left-field line with two outs to make it a 4-1 game.
It was Ortiz’s second homer of the season; his first was a line drive down the right-field line in Tampa on May 11.
Pittsburgh got that run back in the fourth when Spencer Horwitz hit a leadoff homer to right-center.
Civale finished out the inning and was finished for the night after 73 pitches, scattering four hits and two walks with three strikeouts.
Rob Zastryzny recorded the first two batters in the fifth, walked the third and departed in favor of Rodriguez. He was greeted by a pair of singles that loaded the bases but recovered to get Ke’Bryan Hayes to pop out.
Christian Yelich snaps his skid in a big way
The first inning shaped up nicely when, two batters in, Chourio drew a walk – just his sixth of the season.
William Contreras followed with a single and Yelich then got just enough of the barrel to a 94.9-mph Burrows fastball out over the plate to send it just over the wall in left for a three-run homer.
Yelich had been 0 for his last 15 coming into the night, so a nice way for him to break out.
Civale, meanwhile, responded by walking the leadoff batter, allowing a bloop single to Andrew McCutchen and hitting Reynolds to load the bases with nobody out.
Joey Bart then grounded into a 5-3 double play, scoring a run, and Horwitz struck out to minimize the damage.
What time is the Brewers game tonight?
Time:Â 5:40 p.m.
What channel is the Brewers game on tonight?
TV channel:Â FanDuel Sports Wisconsin
Brewers lineupBrice Turang 2BJackson Chourio CFWilliam Contreras CChristian Yelich DHRhys Hoskins 1BIsaac Collins LFSal Frelick RFCaleb Durbin 3BJoey Ortiz SSPirates lineupOneil Cruz CFAndrew McCutchen DHBryan Reynolds RFJoey Bart CSpencer Horwitz 1BKe’Bryan Hayes 3BAdam Frazier 2BTommy Pham LFIsiah Kiner-Falefa SSBrewers schedule
Brewers at Pirates, 5:40 p.m. May 23. Milwaukee RHP Freddy Peralta (5-2, 2.59) vs. Pittsburgh RHP Paul Skenes (3-5, 2.44). TV – FanDuel Sports Wisconsin. Radio – AM-620 WTMJ.
Brewers at Pirates, 3:05 p.m. May 24. Milwaukee RHP Quinn Priester (1-2, 4.66) vs. Pittsburgh RHP Mitch Keller (1-6, 3.88). TV – FanDuel Sports Wisconsin. Radio – AM-620 WTMJ.
Brewers at Pirates, 12:35 p.m. May 25. Milwaukee RHP Logan Henderson (3-0, 1.69) vs. Pittsburgh LHP Bailey Falter (3-3, 3.50). TV – FanDuel Sports Wisconsin. Radio – AM-620 WTMJ.