Early-inning struggles of Davies and lack of clutch hits make for tough night for Brewers

It was hard to say what the Brewers should have been most concerned about Tuesday night as they played their second consecutive dud against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Was it the continuation of early-inning struggles for starter Zach Davies or an offense that has become too reliant on home runs to score?

Though there was still plenty of game left, the Brewers basically were done when Pittsburgh scored six runs in the first inning against Davies en route to a 7-3 victory at Miller Park. If you’re not going to get big hits when the opposing pitcher appears in trouble, you’re not going to erase a six-pack deficit.

“We had a bunch of chances,” manager Craig Counsell said. “We had the right match-ups up there. We had Eric Sogard up there and Eric Thames. It just didn’t play. We didn’t get the hit with runners in scoring position or contact with a man on third and two outs.”

The Brewers were 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position, striking out seven times and stranding 11 men. The Pirates kept the home team at bay by controlling No. 2 hitter Eric Thames, who struck out four times and went 0-for-4 with RISP, stranding seven runners.

In the first game of the series, Thames struck out three times and was so frustrated by his performance that he retreated to the indoor cage afterward for some late-night BP.

“They’re making pitches on him,” Counsell said. “They threw some sliders down and he chased. The last at-bat, they threw fastballs up and he chased. He’s just had a rough couple of nights.”

RELATED: Pirates score six in first off Davies and cruise

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BOX SCORE: Pirates 7, Brewers 3

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The Brewers have been good of late when they hit home runs but not so much when they don’t. When Nick Franklin doubled in a run in the third inning, it snapped a string of 17 consecutive runs scored on homers, a club record. Those homers served the Brewers well but you can't depend on them every game.

The Brewers have definite swing-and-miss tendencies and the misses came at the wrong time against the Pirates. So, have they become too dependent on home runs to score?

“I don’t think so,” rightfielder Domingo Santana said. “I think the problem is we’re leaving too many guys on base. We’re just in a little slump with that but I think we’re going to get out of it, eventually.

“We left so many guys on base. That was the game, right there.”

Davies was quietly seething with his performance afterward, and rightfully so. The last thing the Brewers needed after a lackluster 8-1 loss the previous evening was their starting pitcher putting them so far behind at the outset.

A finesse pitcher who depends on “feel” to succeed at this level, Davies must figure out how to get in a groove quicker. He has a 6.80 earned run average in innings one through three, an indication of how long it is taking him to settle into his starts.

Those early-inning struggles also have caused Davies’ pitch counts to soar, a reason he has failed to go past five innings in 10 of his 15 outings.

“I should be ready from pitch one,” Davies said. “It’s just time to go out and compete. It’s being prepared from the start. I’m not saying I’m not but it’s physically and mentally.”

Counsell commended Davies for bouncing back from the terrible first inning but noted that you get no mulligans in the majors.

“The first inning counts,” Counsell said. “The last two starts, that’s certainly been a problem for him. He came back and pitched four pretty good innings, I thought. But the first inning they put six on the board and that’s too much.

The bright spots were relievers Josh Hader and Carlos Torres, who each turned in two scoreless innings after Davies let the game get away. Hader is a rookie finding his way in a new role and Torres is a veteran with a heavy workload trying to get back on track after some tough weeks.

“Josh has done a nice job,” Counsell said. “That was two excellent innings from Carlos as well.”