Pirates at Brewers
Jimmy Nelson pitched a game befitting of the top prospect status he once carried to end a personal seven-game losing streak and give the Milwaukee Brewers their first victory of the season on Saturday. The Brewers hope to get a similar effort from ace Kyle Lohse on Sunday when the Brewers host the rubber match of a three-game set with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Milwaukee starting pitchers posted an 0-3 record and 8.41 ERA as it fell
to 0-4 for the first time since 2011, but Nelson yielded only two
singles and two walks while fanning a career-high nine over seven frames
in Saturday’s 6-0 win. The Brewers, who had surrendered a major-league
record 20 doubles through their first four contests, hit five of their
own while Jean Segura belted a two-run homer to supply much of their
offense. The Pirates played Saturday without Andrew McCutchen, who sat
out as a precaution with left knee soreness. Pittsburgh manager Clint
Hurdle suggested his four-time All-Star’s return to the starting lineup
is a day-to-day proposition, although the 2013 National League MVP
stated he intends to play on Sunday.
TV: 2:10 p.m. ET, ROOT (Pittsburgh), FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Pirates RH Casey Sadler (2014: 0-1, 7.84 ERA) vs. Brewers RH Kyle Lohse (0-1, 21.60)
With
Francisco Liriano on paternity leave, Sadler gets the nod to make the
first start of his major-league career after appearing six times in
relief last season. The 25th-round draft choice in 2010 made a strong
impression on the Pirates with his work at Triple-A Indianapolis in
2014, going 11-4 with a 3.03 ERA across 21 outings. Sadler, who gave up
two runs in as many innings against the Brewers in his only appearance
against them last June, is 34-22 with a 3.23 ERA in 124 outings (63
starts) during his minor-league career.
Lohse endured one of his
worst outings on Opening Day, surrendering a career-high tying eight
earned runs – including two homers – on 10 hits over 3 1/3 innings in a
10-0 loss at home versus Colorado. For the 15-year veteran, it marked
the eighth time in 395 career starts he yielded that many runs, but only
the third time he did so in fewer than four innings. Neil Walker
(11-for-33, one homer and nine RBIs) has enjoyed the most success versus
Lohse, who is 11-3 with a 3.72 ERA in 23 career appearances (22 starts)
against the Pirates.
WALK-OFFS
1. Milwaukee 1B
Adam Lind has nine hits through five games, tying the club record set by
Paul Molitor in 1978 and matched by Dave Parker in 1990.
2.
Pirates SS Jung Ho Kang became the first position player from the Korean
Baseball Organization to start a major-league game on Saturday.
3. Seven of the 10 hits Lohse allowed on Opening Day went for extra bases.