Coming off their largest comeback win in 20 years, the Milwaukee Brewers hope to get off to a better start when they open a three-game series at the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday evening.
Milwaukee (89-67) rallied from an eight-run deficit against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday to win 10-9 and avoid a four-game sweep. The only comeback that was larger in franchise history was a nine-run rally in a 10-9 win against the Cincinnati Reds on April 28, 2004.
“Let me tell you what we learned,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “We’re not good enough to take our foot off the gas.”
The Brewers remain the only major league team that hasn’t lost four in a row.
“It’s nice to see that we didn’t roll over,” said Brewers first baseman Rhys Hoskins, who drove in three runs during the comeback. “Totally could have. That’s a good team over there, that’s what they’ve done to us these last three nights.”
Milwaukee had clinched the National League Central on Wednesday, but then combined to score just five runs over the next three losses to Arizona.
The Brewers were losing 8-0 heading to the bottom of the third on Sunday.
“It’s a tribute to these guys that maybe they want to be the last man standing,” Murphy said.
Milwaukee plans to start right-hander Tobias Myers in the series opener.
Myers (8-6, 3.05 ERA) is coming off back-to-back starts against the Diamondbacks in which he won the first and lost the second.
He gave up four runs and nine hits in six innings of a 15-8 win on Sept. 14, and three runs (one earned) and four hits in four innings of a 5-1 loss on Thursday.
Myers has also split his two outings against the Pirates this season, though he pitched very well in both games.
He made his major league debut in Pittsburgh on April 23 and gave up a home run to Andrew McCutchen on his first pitch, but that would be the only run he allowed over five innings in the 2-1 loss.
Myers didn’t allow any runs over eight innings the next time he faced the Pirates on July 10 and the Brewers won 9-0.
The Pirates plan to start left-hander Bailey Falter in the series opener.
Falter (8-8, 4.15) won his first two starts of September before losing his latest outing 3-1 to the St. Louis Cardinals last Tuesday after surrendering two runs and four hits in 5 2/3 innings.
“I felt pretty good,” Falter said after the start. “The routine was a little off today. The mechanics were a little out of whack. I went to the stretch there a little bit. I have to be better with the stolen bases and the walks. Too many free passes. Could’ve given my team a better chance. Got to clean some stuff up.”
Falter went up against Myers on April 23 and was the winning pitcher after allowing one run and three hits in seven innings.
Overall, he’s made three appearances (two starts) against Milwaukee in his career and is 1-0 with a 1.23 ERA.
The Pirates (73-83) won 2-0 on Sunday against the Reds to avoid getting swept in their three-game series.