No Yelich, no problem, Brewers top Pirates 4-3

The Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates Tuesday night. It was the Crew’s second straight win over the Bucs.

Manager Craig Counsell made the decision to sit Christian Yelich so other guys would have to step up. All-Star Yasmani Grandal answered the challenge. He had two doubles and an RBI to help the Brewers get the win.

Grandal’s first double came in the fifth inning. It was the first hit off Pirates’ starter Steven Brault. Ryan Braun scored on the play giving the Brewers a 1-0 lead. Then, rookie Trent Grisham grounded into a double play which allowed Grandal to score putting Milwaukee up 2-0.

In the seventh inning, Braun singled to begin the frame. Grandal followed with his second double. After a Grisham walk to load the bases, Orlando Arcia hit a sacrifice fly to score Braun.

The Brewers got another solid start from Chase Anderson. He went 5 2/3 innings allowing two earned runs on six hits.

“I know what I can do when I’m on the mound,” Anderson said. “You try to take the positives of everything. I’ve done that my whole life. It pays off.”

Next up, the Brewers (59-56) will look for the series sweep of the Pirates (48-65). Drew Pomeranz (2|9, 5.54 ERA, 97 SO) will be the initial out-getter on what will be a bullpen day. Trevor Williams (4|4, 4.75 ERA, 77 SO) will take the bump for the Bucs. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05pm.

    Could Brewers deal Moustakas or Grandal for an arm?

    The Milwaukee Brewers need help in their starting rotation and their bullpen. It will be difficult for them to move prospects for a solid arm though as their farm system isn’t as good as it was just a few years ago.

    The Brewers are looking to their big-league roster for trade pieces to improve their pitching.

    According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, they are considering trading one of their all-stars, Mike Moustakas or Yasmani Grandal, for a starting pitcher.

    Moustakas is hitting .261/.333/.532 with 26 home runs and 60 RBIs and Grandal has hit 19 homers and driven in 54 runs. Both players are set to be free agents after the season.

    Currently, Milwaukee is one game behind the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central. Also, they are one game out of the second wild-card spot.

    Starters Brandon Woodruff and Jhoulys Chacin are both set to miss a significant amount of time. GM David Stearns will need to figure out how to get another arm to Milwaukee.

    Losing either Moustakas or Grandal would hurt the offense. Both players have been huge to the success of the bats this season. They each have plenty of postseason experience as well which can’t be understated.

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        MILWAUKEE | The Milwaukee Brewers fell to the Seattle Mariners 8-3 Tuesday night. Milwaukee has now dropped six of their last eight games.

        Davies gets roughed up in four innings of work

        It’s been a problem for the Brewers this season and it was a problem again Tuesday night. They’ve had trouble getting the starters to go deep into games. Zach Davies threw 75 pitches in his four innings of work.

        He managed to get through the first two innings just fine allowing two hits and walking one but no runs were scored. Then, the trouble began in the third inning. After striking out Marco Gonzales, Davies gave up a double, triple, double and home run to four consecutive batters. This led to a four-run inning for the Mariners giving them a 4-1 lead.

        Davies didn’t get much help from his defense in the fourth inning as two errors led to two more runs being scored.

        “The last two starts he hasn’t been sharp,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “Today he left some change ups up and had enough misses with the fastball. The game is a different game if we put up a zero in the fourth because we gave them two runs.”

        He finished the night giving up six runs, four of which were earned, on six hits while striking out four. Brewers starters have a 6.55 ERA in the last 30 games.

        Grandal at leadoff continues to produce offense

        With Lorenzo Cain struggling at the leadoff position and now having a procedure done on his right thumb, Yasmani Grandal has stepped into the role with success. Grandal smashed his first career home run from the leadoff spot on Saturday. He knocked one out of the park again Tuesday night in the fifth inning.

        The Brewers may have found a solution moving forward. Not too many catchers get the opportunity to bat first but Grandal has performed well in his short time there.

        Nelson pitches out of the bullpen

        Jimmy Nelson came on in relief for the Brewers for the first time since 2014. It didn’t start well. He walked the first two batters he faced. Then, after getting a fly out he gave up a single which would’ve scored a run if it weren’t for a terrific throw by Ryan Braun.

        A good sign came from Nelson as he was able to get Austin Adams to strikeout looking.

        Things got worse for Nelson in the eighth inning. After striking out the leadoff man, he gave up a single and back-to-back walks. However, he got out of the jam without allowing a run thanks to a double-play to end the inning.

        Nelson finished his night with two innings of work giving up no runs on two hits and walking four. He didn’t look comfortable on the mound and hasn’t yet this season.

        I don’t know how much longer Milwaukee can stick with Nelson in the majors. He may never get back to the pitcher he was in 2017.

        What’s next?

        The Brewers (42-37) will look to take game two of the three-game set over the Mariners (36-47) Wednesday night at Miller Park. Adrian Houser (2|1, 2.27 ERA, 36 SO) will make the start for Milwaukee. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10pm.

          Brewers end three-game skid, beat Dodgers 8-5

          It was a revenge game for former Dodgers’ catcher Yasmani Grandal, and he came through in a big way. Grandal came up with three RBIs to guide Milwaukee to an 8-5 victory.

          Down 5-4 in the fifth inning, the new Brewers’ catcher jacked a two-run homer to see-saw his team in front 6-5. They never looked back.

          Corbin Burnes had another rough start as he allowed five runs in just over four innings. Burnes troubles with the long ball continued. The Dodgers went yard three times off the young right-hander. He has now given up nine homers this season.

          The Milwaukee bullpen would pick Burnes up however, not allowing another run for the remainder of the game. Matt Albers, Alex Claudio, Junior Guerra, Josh Hader and Alex Wilson combined for four-plus innings of no-run ball.

          It was a big win for the Brewers after being swept in a three-game series by the Los Angeles Angels. April is a tough month for Milwaukee as they must face off against several playoff contenders.

          Next up, the Brewers (9-5) play the Dodgers (9-7) Saturday night. Zach Davies (1|0, 1.69 ERA, 7 SO) will get the start for Milwaukee. The Dodgers will counter with Caleb Ferguson (0|0, 0.00 ERA, 8 SO) who is making his first start of the season. First pitch is scheduled for 8:10pm.

            Comeback falls short, Brewers lose to Angels 11-8

            The Milwaukee Brewers won’t go the season without losing a series. They slugged it out with the Angels Tuesday night but fell short, losing 11-8.

            Starter Freddy Peralta struggled early on in his first start since an eight-inning, 11 strikeout gem against the Reds on April 3. He gave up six of his seven earned runs in the first inning putting the Brewers in a difficult spot from the beginning of the game.

            Milwaukee battled back thanks in large part to catcher Yasmani Grandal. He blasted two home runs that accounted for three RBIs. The Brewers actually took the lead in the fifth, 8-7 but the bullpen couldn’t get the job done.

            Matt Albers, Alex Claudio and Jake Petricka each allowed at least one earned run in relief.

            It was the third time in five games that the Brewers pitching staff surrendered at least 10 runs.

            Next up, the Brewers (8-4) will look to avoid the series sweep against the Angels (6-6) on Wednesday night. Brandon Woodruff (1|0, 6.00 ERA, 13 SO) will take the bump for the Crew opposite of Felix Pena (0|1, 5.40 ERA, 10 SO). First pitch is scheduled for 9:07pm.

              The Brewers spoof ‘Mean Girls’

              The Brewers continue to show why they are one of the coolest teams in the league. They previously created the “Sandlot” parody and now gave their take on the movie “Mean Girls.”

              This is just another example of the great team chemistry the Brewers possess. They all get along with each-other and enjoy having fun together.

              The video starred manager Craig Counsell, newcomer Yasmani Grandal and pitchers Brent Suter, Josh Hader and Jeremy Jeffress.