9/5/23 Hometown Broadcasting Sports Tuesday
5 September 2023 Sports
Ke’Bryan Hayes homered and tripled, Jack Suwinski drilled his 23rd home run and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-2 on Monday night.
Pittsburgh won for the sixth time in seven games behind six strong innings from Luis Ortiz (4-4), who recovered from an early bout of wildness to send the NL Central-leading Brewers to a second straight loss.
Ortiz gave up two runs in the second, when he loaded the bases with no outs on two walks and a hit batter. The Brewers scratched across a pair of runs on sacrifice flies, but Ortiz settled down from there to win his second consecutive start. David Bednar worked the ninth for his 32nd save.
Suwinski’s two-run homer in the fourth off Corbin Burnes (9-8) tied the game. Hayes put the Pirates in front with a shot to left-center that just cleared the wall next to the 410-foot sign with two outs in the fifth. Bryan Reynolds followed with a double and scored when Andrew McCutchen doubled down the left-field line.
McCutchen doubled twice for Pittsburgh but remained stuck on 299 career home runs. The five-time All-Star exited in the bottom of the fifth with left Achilles tightness. The 36-year-old winced as he reached second base on his second double and hobbled between second and third when Connor Joe flied out to end the inning.
Burnes gave up four runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts in six innings. He is winless since July 20, a span of eight starts in which his ERA has been a solid if not spectacular 3.98.
The inability to take advantage when Burnes is on the hill has been one of the few missteps by the Brewers of late. Milwaukee used an eight-game winning streak in late August to take control of the division.
The Brewers took two of three from Philadelphia over the weekend but began a six-game road trip through Pittsburgh and New York with a whimper.
William Contreras went 1 for 4 to extend his hitting streak to 14 games, but Milwaukee left six runners on base and was 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position. The sacrifice flies by Victor Caratini and Brice Turang in the second marked all the offense the Brewers could muster against Ortiz and four relievers.
Brewers RHP Adrian Houser (right elbow) threw a bullpen and “is doing really well,” according to manager Craig Counsell. CF Garrett Mitchell (left shoulder subluxation) is “tracking” toward a minor league rehab assignment, according to Counsell. Mitchell is supposed to meet with a consultant this week to determine next steps.
The series continues Tuesday, when Brandon Woodruff (3-1, 2.70 ERA) starts for the Brewers. The Pirates had yet to announce a starter. First pitch is at 5:35 CDT.
Elsewhere in the NL Central Monday the Cubs shutout the Giants 5-0 and the Reds beat the Mariners 6-3. The Brewers lead the Cubs by 2 ½ games and the Reds by 5 ½ in the division.
In the Midwest League tonight the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers host Cedar Rapids. First pitch is at 6:40.
The Packers are off today before starting practice Wednesday in preparation for the season-opener Sunday against the Bears at Soldier Field.
Chez Mellusi ran for 157 yards and two touchdowns, Braelon Allen added 141 yards and two more scores and No. 19 Wisconsin started the first season of Luke Fickell’s coaching tenure with a 38-17 victory over Buffalo on Saturday.
Fickell coached his first regular-season game since joining the Badgers after six seasons at Cincinnati. He was with Wisconsin for the Guaranteed Rate Bowl victory over Oklahoma State last season.
Mellusi, a Clemson transfer who came to Wisconsin in 2021, had an 89-yard touchdown run in which he navigated through the defense to make it 21-10 in the third quarter. He had 13 carries.
Allen had 14 rushes and caught seven passes for 25 yards. His 37-yard touchdown run extended the lead to 28-10 in the third.
SMU transfer Tanner Mordecai threw for 189 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions, in his first start for the Badgers.
Melusi had a 1-yard TD run to put the Badgers on the board first in the first quarter. Buffalo scored less than two minutes later when Cole Harrity caught a 7-yard pass from Cole Snyder.
The Badgers had 101 yards rushing in the first half but found their footing on the ground in the third with 150 yards in the quarter.
Chimere Dike caught a 29-yard touchdown pass that gave Wisconsin a 14-7 lead with a minute to go in the first half.
Buffalo’s Devin Grant picked off Mordecai’s pass at the 50 and returned it to the 16. But Alex McNulty missed a 34-yard field-goal attempt three plays later.
McNulty made a 53-yard field goal with seven seconds left in the first half to pull the Bulls to 14-10.
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