​The Milwaukee Brewers endured a rough day in Pittsburgh, dropping both games of the doubleheader by a slim margin overall, even though the final two scores ended up being a combined two-run deficit. After opening with a 7-6 defeat in the opener, they followed with a 3-2 loss in the nightcap.
Early on, the Brewers put pressure on rookie Bubba Chandler. Jackson Chourio began the rally with a single and then stole second on a 3-2 check swing that Brice Turang controversially drew an out on the left fielder’s glove, though not in a definitive manner. Jake Bauers then drew a walk, putting runners at first and second. Milwaukee pulled off a textbook double steal to place two runners in scoring position, but Gary Sánchez grounded out to end the threat. Shane Drohan faced the Brewers in a productive first inning, and the Brewers again threatened in the second as Garrett Mitchell and Luis Lara reached on a single and a walk. Cooper Pratt grounded into a double play, and Joey Ortiz followed with a flyout to end the inning.
Drohan and Chandler both retired the side in order in the next frame, and Drohan worked around a leadoff single in the third to keep his day’s start clean through three. That all changed in the fourth when Drohan encountered trouble. Bryan Reynolds led off with a double, and Esmerlyn Valdez followed with a two-run homer, his third of the day after a pair in the earlier game, including the go-ahead grand slam late in the first game. Drohan managed to finish the inning, but Pittsburgh had staked themselves to a 2-0 lead.
Milwaukee responded quickly in the top of the fifth. Ortiz and Christian Yelich each singled with one out, setting the stage for a pivotal moment. Chourio hit into a force out that left runners at the corners with two outs for Turang. Turang then delivered a crucial swing, drilling a double down the left-field line that hugged the foul line and eluded the reach of the left fielder. Both Ortiz and Chourio crossed home as Turang’s drive tied the game at 2-2. The Brewers weren’t done there, as Chandler was relieved by Brandon Eisert. Eisert walked Bauers and Sánchez to load the bases for Garrett Mitchell, who could have turned the tide with a big hit. Instead, Mitchell grounded out back to Eisert, ending the threat and leaving the score tied, with a missed opportunity to seize the lead.
The teams then exchanged zeroes until the bottom of the sixth, when Drohan offered up a one-out double to Brandon Lowe. Lowe would come around to score on a single by Reynolds, granting Pittsburgh a 3-2 lead that would prove to be the final margin. Milwaukee’s offense went dormant in the late innings, as no Brewers baserunner advanced past first base after the Pirates took their lead.
Drohan pitched well in defeat, delivering 6 1/3 innings with three runs on five hits and no walks, while striking out six. He earned the loss, as the offense could not back him with more than two runs. Grant Anderson and Abner Uribe kept the Pirates off the board during the final 1 2/3 innings, but their relief effort came too little, too late to turn the outcome in Milwaukee’s favor. The result added to a disappointing day, as the ball didn’t bounce Milwaukee’s way in critical moments, and the Brewers faced a second straight loss in Pittsburgh despite showing moments of productive offense and competitive at-bats.