MILWAUKEE — Ryan Braun flipped his bat in disgust. For the second time, Chad Kuhl had fooled him. During his first at-bat, the Milwaukee Brewers first baseman had whiffed on a changeup for strike three. The second time around, Kuhl caught him looking at a curveball. Both strikeouts ended the inning.
During spring training, pitching coach Ray Searage said he didn’t think Kuhl knew how good he could be. Kuhl showed flashes of that high upside in the Pirates’ 9-0 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers Sunday afternoon. Kuhl allowed one hit, and the Brewers got just one more off reliever Richard Rodriguez, who struck out the side in both innings he pitched.