The Pirates’ hitters continued to founder and the bullpen got lit up yet again in a 6-2 loss to the Phillies. The offensive futility wasted a good start by Steven Brault.
The pitching matchup seemed badly slanted in the Phillies’ favor, but Brault more than matched Aaron Nola. Despite getting squeezed by the home plate umpire, Brault got through the first five innings without allowing a run. It wasn’t elegant; he walked three, but allowed only one hit. The only real jam he had came when two runners reached with two out in the fourth.
Brault had a little margin to work with from the start, as Sean Rodriguez led off the game with his third home run.