MILWAUKEE _ On this day, long ball topped small ball.
The Pittsburgh Pirates kept delivering run-scoring singles Wednesday afternoon and the Milwaukee Brewers kept answering with home runs.
Manny Pina delivered the final blow, a two-run, opposite-field shot to right in the eighth inning that proved to be the decisive blow in the Brewers' 7-6 victory at Miller Park. It was the fourth consecutive triumph for the Brewers, who swept the two-game set from the Pirates.
When the day was done, the Brewers had scored all seven of their runs on five homers, including two by Keon Broxton. The Pirates' total of six RBI singles was not enough, nor was the fact they went 6 for 12 with runners in scoring position while the Brewers were 0 for 0.
"It's certainly fun when you hit home runs," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "That was a fun game today. We kept coming back."
It didn't look good for the Brewers when the Pirates rallied for three runs in the third inning against Jimmy Nelson, giving their ace, Gerrit Cole, a 4-0 lead. Cole had a 1.29 ERA in three previous starts this season against Milwaukee, allowing only three runs in 21 innings.
But the Brewers' comeback began immediately in the bottom of the third when Broxton led off with an opposite-field home run. Newcomer Neil Walker, a Pittsburgh native who began his career with the Pirates, added a two-run shot and it was game on.
"I've seen this before, as a visiting player, how resilient these guys are," said Walker, who played for the New York Mets when the Brewers rallied on Mother's Day from an 8-3 deficit to win, 11-9, on a three-run homer by Pina in the eighth. "The ability to hit the long ball helps.
"(Cole) is a good friend of mine; a very good pitcher. Usually, when he gets a lead like that, it's tough to come back. But we did a great job of giving ourselves opportunities and taking advantage when we could. That was a good answer back."
Nelson settled down after that rough inning and allowed the Brewers to come all the way back on a home run by Travis Shaw leading off the bottom of the sixth. In 10 previous starts against the Brewers, Cole had allowed only four homers in 64 innings but on this day he was tagged for three.
"I thought we had some really good at-bats against him," Counsell said. "We took advantage of three mistakes and drove them out of the park. That's probably the way you've got to score against him because he was making a lot of quality pitches."
Aided by an error on first baseman Jesus Aguilar, the Pirates went back on top, 5-4, on Josh Harrison's RBI single off reliever Jared Hughes in the seventh. But Broxton answered again with his second home run, leading off the bottom of the inning against reliever George Kontos.
Broxton admitted it got his attention Tuesday night when Counsell gave infielder Jonathan Villar a start in center field to get more left-handed bats in the lineup. Broxton hit a home run off the bench late in that game and came back with two more, trying to stake his claim for playing time.
"I'd be lying if I said it didn't (light a fire under me)," Broxton said. "I definitely feel like I want to be out there, playing and helping the team. If I'm not doing it at that time, I have to respect what Counsell wants. At the end of the role, I know I have a role and that's to get better and help the team the best I can."
The Pirates kept coming, going back on top in the eighth. Reliever Anthony Swarzak, out of action a few days with a stiff neck, was greeted by a booming triple to right by Josh Bell. Swarzak struck out David Freese looking but Adam Frazier collected Pittsburgh's sixth run-scoring single of the day to make it 6-5.
Pina delivered the final answer in the bottom of the inning with his two-run shot off righty Juan Nicasio, continuing a fine season that has been under the radar outside of Milwaukee.
"It's a different story because he's an older player (30) but he's a rookie," Counsell said of Pina. "This is his first (full) year in the big leagues.
"He has been asked to do a lot, and has carried the load the last couple of weeks (with Stephen Vogt on the DL). He has continued to have a big impact."
