Brewers 8 - 7 Pirates
Final
  for this game

Rodriguez hopes to get himself untracked against Brewers

Apr 19, 2014 - 1:10 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - Wandy Rodriguez tries to put an awful start behind him on Saturday when the Pittsburgh Pirates continue their four-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers at PNC Park.

Rodriguez has gotten worse in each of his three starts and the Pirates are starting to worry about his decreased velocity.

"The mistakes are getting covered and getting hit over the wall," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. "It's a challenging time for him."

That was certainly the case on Monday in Cincinnati, as he allowed six runs and six hits - 3 home runs - over five innings. However, he didn't factor in the decision of his team's 8-7 win, which was completed on Tuesday after the original contest was suspended.

Rodriguez is 0-2 on the year with a 7.31 ERA.

Milwaukee, meanwhile, will counter with righty Matt Garza, who is still searching for his first win as a Brewer. Signed to a 4-year, $50 million deal this offseason, Garza is off to an 0-2 start, while pitching to a 3.43 ERA.

Garza lost to St. Louis on Monday, as he allowed four runs and nine hits in seven innings. But for the second time this season Milwaukee failed to score any runs for him.

In five starts versus the Pirates Garza is 1-2 with a 3.54 ERA.

Milwaukee evened this set at two games apiece on Friday, as Carlos Gomez smacked a solo homer among his two hits and two RBI and the Brewers hung on for a 5-3 win.

Andrew McCutchen ripped a two-out RBI double in the bottom of the seventh to trim the gap to 5-3. Pedro Alvarez then had the tying runs on second and third, but took a called strike three on a sweeping slider from Will Smith on the outer half.

Pittsburgh loaded the bases with two outs in the eighth, but Jim Henderson got Starling Marte to pop out to Mark Reynolds at first base. Francisco Rodriguez tossed a scoreless ninth to notch his fifth save of the year..

"We just weren't able to get that at bat when we needed it tonight," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said.

Kyle Lohse (3-1) surrendered three runs -- one earned -- on four hits and three walks over 6 1/3 innings for Milwaukee, which had dropped three of its last four coming in on the heels of a nine-game winning streak.

Charlie Morton (0-2) yielded five runs on eight hits and two walks over six frames for the Pirates, who have lost six of their last eight.

Prior to the game Pittsburgh acquired first baseman Ike Davis from the New York Mets. Davis will be with the Bucs on Saturday and could make his first start for them.

"Well, he'll definitely be a participant over at first base," Hurdle said. "The guy is not far removed from being a run producer at the Major League level. There have been conversations on and off that went away, (but) they obviously stirred back up and we look at him as a very good acquisition for us."

The Pirates are 5-2 at PNC Park this season.






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