Brewers use homers to beat Bucs, 3-1
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Prince Fielder and Rickie Weeks each hit home runs for the second consecutive game, Chris Capuano won for the first time in more than three years and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-1 on Monday night. Weeks homered for the third time in two days to extend his club record for homers by a Milwaukee second baseman to 18, and Fielder took over sole possession of the National League home run lead with his 23rd for the Brewers, who have won six of their past eight.
Making his second start since the end of the 2007 season, Capuano (1-1) broke a franchise record 13-game losing streak by allowing a run on three hits and a walk with four strikeouts in five innings.
Capuano, who missed the past two seasons recovering from Tommy John surgery, hadn’t won since May 13, 2007. His only start since Sept. 28, 2007, came in his season debut June 3. He had made seven relief appearances since but was needed because starter Doug Davis was placed on the disabled list last week.
Todd Coffey, Zach Braddock, Kameron Loe and John Axford combined for four shutout innings of relief.
Axford earned his 12th save in as many opportunities, allowing two men to reach before striking out Ryan Doumit and Ryan Church and getting Ronny Cedeno to ground out.
Milwaukee won despite only three hits and four baserunners.
Feeble-hitting Pittsburgh had established season-highs for hits the two previous games – the 36 combined hits in consecutive wins over Houston were the most in a two-game stretch in 35 years.
But playing without their best player in Andrew McCutchen due to a neck injury, the Pirates reverted back to looking like the team that was last in the NL in runs and batting average at the All-star break. They had six hits – two each by Cedeno and Neil Walker – and never more than one in an inning.
Pittsburgh starter Jeff Karstens was perfect through four innings – but Fielder took the first pitch of the fifth to the opposite field, the ball landing about four rows deep beyond the wall near the left-field corner.
Pinch-hitter Carlos Gomez was the second to reach base against Karstens when he laid down a bunt single with one out in the sixth. Weeks followed by hitting a 3-0 pitch just over the wall in left-center.
Karstens (2-5) threw only seven balls (out of 47 total pitches) through his first five innings and threw 53 of 66 pitches for strikes overall. He only allowed three baserunners during his six innings – but all of them scored.
Pittsburgh’s lone run came when Pedro Alvarez walked to lead off the fifth and, with two outs, scored on Cedeno’s triple.