Only a few inches separated the ball from the top of Gaby Sanchez's glove. Probably 3 or 4, 6 at most. That was enough to turn a groundout into a double and a runner on first, one out, into a loss.
The Milwaukee Brewers broke a scoreless tie in the ninth and defeated the Pirates, 1-0, Saturday night at PNC Park in front of 39,027, the largest crowd of the season except for opening day. The Pirates' five-game winning streak ended, as did the Brewers' three-game losing streak, and the Brewers moved to 3 1/2 games back of the Pirates for the second National League wild-card berth.
Brewers starter Matt Garza hit Andrew McCutchen twice, resulting in Garza's ejection in the latest episode of opposing pitchers hitting the Pirates' star center fielder.
Mark Melancon entered to pitch the ninth with the game scoreless. Ryan Braun singled and pinch-hitter Elian Herrera bunted into a forceout. Lyle Overbay bounced a chopper down the first-base line that just cleared a leaping Sanchez, resulting in a double that put runners on second and third.
Melancon intentionally walked pinch-hitter Matt Clark to load the bases. Logan Schafer's sacrifice fly scored the go-ahead run.
Edinson Volquez put the leadoff batter on base in three of his seven innings, but held the Brewers scoreless. He allowed three hits and struck out six, but his effort was for naught because the Pirates went 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position and left 10 stranded on base, including a combined four in the seventh and eighth innings.
"The guys were going out there, they're doing the best they can, but it comes down to execution," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said.
Opposing teams hitting McCutchen has been an issue since 2012, when Cincinnati Reds closer Aroldis Chapman put a triple-digit fastball off McCutchen's shoulder, but they reappeared this summer. After former Pirates reliever Ernesto Frieri ended Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt's season by breaking his hand with an errant fastball in August, Diamondbacks reliever Randall Delgado retaliated by hitting McCutchen in the spine. The next day, McCutchen suffered an avulsion fracture involving cartilage attached to a lower left rib, close to the area where he was hit. McCutchen went on the disabled list and is still playing through pain.
With two outs in the third and nobody on, Garza hit McCutchen on the left side with a first-pitch fastball. McCutchen took his base without incident.
"I know that's what the scouting report is," McCutchen said. "If you're going to throw it in, throw it in off the plate."
The next inning, Volquez threw a 1-0 fastball up and in on Ryan Braun, causing home-plate umpire Marty Foster to warn both benches. Volquez denied intent.
"I just want to pitch inside," Volquez said. "That's the way I've been pitching against him."
In the fifth, also with two outs and the bases empty, Garza hit McCutchen again. This time he threw a 1-2 fastball up and in, off McCutchen's forearm. Foster immediately ejected Garza, and Brewers manager Ron Roenicke also was ejected, by rule, because the benches had been warned.
"Really there hadn't been a lot of other times moving people back," Hurdle said. "You never know. You don't like it. Then obviously the warnings were listed and he got hit again. I think the right move was made after that."
In 1582?3 innings this season entering Saturday, Garza had hit two batters.
"If people think I hit McCutchen on purpose, with a 1-2 count in a game like this, then you're just an idiot," Garza said.
McCutchen had an ice pack on his left forearm. "It'll be as good as it's going to be," he said.
Bill Brink: bbrink@post-gazette.com and Twitter @BrinkPG.
First Published: September 21, 2014, 2:44 a.m.
Updated: September 21, 2014, 4:03 a.m.
