Pirates 6, Brewers 4: Getting the air knocked out of them

PITTSBURGH - With time running short in the season, the Milwaukee Brewers simply can't afford the type of missed opportunity that befell them Wednesday night at PNC Park.

Poised to gain a full game on the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central and to pull even with the Colorado Rockies in the chase for the second wild card after both teams lost, the Brewers couldn't take advantage.

Closer Corey Knebel's throwing error in the eighth inning allowed the Pittsburgh Pirates to tie the game, and Knebel then allowed a two-run, walk-off home run to Adam Frazier in the ninth in falling, 6-4.

As a result, the Brewers head into their big four-game series at Miller Park starting Thursday with the Cubs 3 1/2 games back. They're one game behind the Rockies.

"When we get this deep, we’ve talked about the losses hurt more, the wins feel so much better," said manager Craig Counsell, whose team also missed out on a chance to move to a season-best 12 games over .500 and to also clinch a winning season.

"Yeah, this one hurts, for sure. But what we’re doing tomorrow lets you turn the page really fast." 

Jesús Aguilar and Domingo Santana each homered early for the Brewers, who nearly emptied both their bench and bullpen to win this one.

Frazier, meanwhile, drove in four of the Pirates' six runs to help reeling Pittsburgh avoid a sweep in the teams' season finale.

Trailing, 3-2, and showing no signs of life on offense since the third, the Brewers finally got going again in the seventh thanks to the wildness of reliever Tyler Glasnow.

Aguilar drew a leadoff walk and was replaced by pinch-runner Quentin Berry, who was quickly thrown out trying to steal second. Glasnow followed by walking Manny Piña and pinch-hitter Neil Walker, ending his outing and bringing Eric Thames off the bench to face right-hander A.J. Schugel.

Thames delivered a run-scoring double to left and then another pinch-hitter, Eric Sogard, was put on intentionally to load the bases. Counsell went to his fifth consecutive sub in Stephen Vogt, who drew the Brewers' fifth walk of the inning to force in the go-ahead run.

BOX SCORE:Pirates 6, Brewers 4

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"We had some big at-bats to take the lead; Eric’s hit, obviously, and then Stephen with the pinch-hit walk," Counsell said. "The lefties off the bench put together that inning, really, and did an outstanding job."

Josh Hader and Anthony Swarzak combined to pitch the next 1 2/3 innings. Andrew McCutchen's double to left-center off Swarzak left a runner in scoring position with two outs in the eighth, prompting Counsell to call on Knebel to register a four-out save in his third straight appearance.

Two pitches in, David Freese squibbed one to the left of the mound. Knebel rushed to field it but then uncorked a wild throw to first base that allowed McCutchen to score and tie it at 4-4.

Knebel (1-3) had converted 21 consecutive save opportunities coming into the game.

"He’s out with a good throw, I think," said Counsell. "The guy’s just trying to make a play. I think there was a play to be made and obviously, that’s the ball that hurts you, the ball that’s thrown away to that (right) side. To the other side, it might not hurt you, even."

Knebel said he didn't have a good grip on the ball before throwing it.

"Had to be quick. Ball just slipped," he said. "I wouldn’t change it. (Travis) Shaw was like, ‘I could have told you to eat it, but you got there in time.’ But there wasn’t enough time to set my feet and throw.

"It was the only way, and it slipped out."

After the Brewers failed to score against Felipe Rivero in the ninth, Knebel walked Elias Díaz to start the bottom of the inning. Then with two outs, Frazier hammered a two-run homer to right to end it.

"Called curveball. I was in and I just wasn’t feeling it. Stepped off, picked off and came back and Jett (Bandy) knew right then and there I didn’t want to throw that pitch," Knebel said. "Called fastball; that’s exactly what I wanted to throw, too. I thought it might have missed over the plate a little, and Frazier got the head out." 

Added Counsell of Knebel: "He’s been so good. The other team’s trying to get him and we haven’t seen guys get him very often. Frazier’s an excellent hitter, a tough hitter, he got a fastball and he hit it."

Solo homers by Aguilar in the second and Santana in the third gave rookie Aaron Wilkerson – the 13th starting pitcher utilized by the Brewers this season – an early lead with which to work.

Both came off left-hander Steven Brault, who'd limited Milwaukee to a single and a walk over six innings on Sept. 11 in a 7-0 victory at Miller Park.

But Wilkerson, who'd pitched one inning out of the bullpen for the Brewers since joining the team last week, quickly ran into trouble in the bottom of the third.

Díaz led off with a double off the center-field wall and Jordy Mercer followed with a walk – the first issued by a Milwaukee pitcher in 30 innings. After a Brault out, Frazier tripled off the top of the right-field wall to drive in Díaz and Mercer and tie it at 2-2.

Starling Marte followed with an RBI single, ending Wilkerson's first major-league start after just 40 pitches. He allowed four hits, three runs and a walk in all without a strikeout.

"When we got the lead I thought he’d get a little more slack," Counsell said. "But at that point we’re down and there’s a rally going and the swings are starting to get a little better. I didn’t want anything else to happen.

"I thought 3-2, we’re still very much in the game. He got seven outs, we had plenty of coverage at that point."

Jacob Barnes, Jeremy Jeffress, Wei-Chung Wang and Jared Hughes followed Wilkerson, combining for 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief while the offense went back into the tank against Brault for the remainder of his five-inning stint.

Now the question remains what kind of shape the Brewers' bullpen will be in Thursday. Every reliever aside from Matt Garza, Junior Guerra and Carlos Torres saw action, and every position player aside from catcher Andrew Susac got at least an at-bat.

While Knebel and Swarzak both are likely to be unavailable, with what's at stake it's likely to be all hands on deck once again.

"There’s still 10 games," Knebel said. "We’re still right there."

BEHIND THE BOX SCORE

• Milwaukee's pitching staff entered Wednesday having not issued a walk in three consecutive games and 28 consecutive innings. Going back even further, it had walked only three in the last six games (53 innings).

"I think anytime you put together a streak like that, it’s impressive," said Counsell. "It’s a place that – we talked about this specifically for the bullpen – was an area of concern for a while.

"Obviously, they have been contributing a bunch of the innings. And if they’re contributing to not walking guys, it means we’re doing a better job in that area."

Indeed, the Brewers' bullpen has been solid of late; it entered Wednesday having posted an 0.82 ERA over the previous 11 games while limiting opponents to a .163 batting average with 56 strikeouts.

The bullpen has also lowered its collective ERA for the season from 4.13 to 3.85 – good for third in the National League.

STAT SHEET

• The Brewers' 12th shutout of the season on Tuesday moved them into a tie for third-most in the major leagues. 

TAKEAWAY

This one hurt. The Brewers fought their way back to grab the lead late, but Knebel's ill-fated attempt to get Freese at first opened the door for the Pirates. At this late stage of the season, they can't afford such miscues.

"For that to happen like it happened, that's baseball," Thames said. "We have to come back and get the Cubs tomorrow."

RECORD

This year: 81-71 (43-34 home; 38-37 away)

Last year: 68-84

NEXT GAME

Thursday: Brewers vs Cubs, 7:10 p.m. Milwaukee RHP Zach Davies (17-9, 3.89) vs. Chicago RHP Jake Arrieta (14-9, 3.48). TV: FS Wisconsin. Radio: AM-620.