MILWAUKEE _ The ex-Pirates did the damage Tuesday night.
Keon Broxton hit a pinch-hit home run. Jared Hughes stranded the tying run in scoring position. And Neil Walker, playing his second game as a Milwaukee Brewer, reached base three times, including loaded the bases by reaching on an error before the Brewers' first run, and saved a run with a sliding defensive stop.
Struggling to score for the third consecutive game, the Pirates lost the opener of a two-game series against the Brewers on Tuesday, 3-1 at Miller Park. The Pirates managed four total runs during their three-game losing streak, which reduced their record to 58-61.
The number of hits Ivan Nova had allowed in the season's second half was alarming _ 43 in 28 1/3 innings prior to Tuesday. They disparity did not result from one bad outing, either. He gave up 10 hits in six innings against the Brewers July 18, nine in five-plus innings after that, eight in five innings, six in six innings and another 10 in 6 1/3 innings in his most recent start, Aug. 9 against Detroit.
Not so on Tuesday. Nova allowed four singles, one of them a grounder right back to him that he couldn't handle, in six innings. One of the two runs he allowed was unearned.
Brewers starter Zach Davies had a 6.44 ERA in 12 home starts this season, compared to a 2.52 mark in 12 games on the road. Tuesday, though, Miller Park agreed with him. He allowed one run in 6 2/3 innings.
Nova allowed only one hit through four innings Tuesday night. That batter, Travis Shaw in the second inning, would score. Nova walked the next batter, Domingo Santana. Walker grounded to Josh Bell, who whirled to begin a double play. As has happened at times this year, Bell made a throwing error, and the bases were loaded with nobody out.
Manny Pina got a run home with a fielder's choice, but Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer limited the damage with an inning-ending double play.
The Pirates had two men on in the third, fourth and fifth against Davies but could not score. The Brewers cut down a run at the plate in the fourth. Bell, who had walked, went first to third on Adam Frazier's single. Santana's throw eluded Shaw and Bell broke for home, but Shaw recovered the ball and threw Bell out easily.
The Pirates challenged that play, hoping for a ruling that Pina blocked the plate, but lost. That mattered in the sixth inning. Frazier tied the game in the top half with an RBI triple. Nova issued a one-out walk to Shaw in the bottom half. Chris Stewart's passed ball put Shaw on second and Santana's grounder put him on third.
Rather than face Walker batting lefty, Nova intentionally walked him to pitch to Pina. Pina grounded to the left side, and as David Freese dived for it, he deflected it to his left. Mercer reached back across his body, caught the deflection and threw, but first-base umpire Hunter Wendelstedt ruled the runner safe. Shaw scored, the Brewers had a 2-1 lead and the Pirates no longer had a challenge in their pocket to try to reverse the call.
