Brewers vs Pirates final score: Russell Martin’s home run keys 4-2 victory for Pittsburgh
By Hayden Kane
The Milwaukee Brewers sent their ace to the mound for their biggest game of the season Friday night against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Yovani Gallardo did not disappoint, leaving his team in a position to win. Unfortunately for him, his bullpen was not able to make that lead stand up, and a late home run from Russell Martin propelled the Pirates to a 4-2 victory.
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Milwaukee took a two-run lead into the eighth inning. Martin came up to bat against Jonathan Broxton with two runners on. The veteran catcher was able to drive a ball on the outer half of the plate out to center field and over the fence for a dramatic three-run shot to give his team a 3-2 lead.
It was the moment of the night on Friday.
In case you had any doubt about the significance of that moment, I would refer you to Martin’s reaction.
To put the Pirates in that position, starting pitcher Jeff Locke did some outstanding work of his own, going seven innings and allowing just two earned runs.
That was not as impressive as Gallardo, who struck out 11 hitters over the course of seven shutout innings, but that good work was wiped out once this game came down to the bullpens. John Holdzkom and Mark Melancon worked clean innings out of the Pittsburgh bullpen to nail down the win.
This is a devastating blow to Milwaukee’s playoff hopes this season. If a sweep was almost a must for them, then winning the next two games of this weekend series is most certainly a requirement. Otherwise, it might be time to start mourning what could have been for the Brewers.
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