Brewers rally past Pirates 6-5 in 11 innings

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Eric Sogard doubled home Brock Holt in the 11th inning and the Milwaukee Brewers rallied for a rain-delayed 6-5 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday night.

The Brewers trailed by four entering the ninth but took advantage of another shaky performance by the Pittsburgh bullpen to force extra innings. Ryan Braun’s two-out, two-run double off Kyle Crick drew Milwaukee even.

Pirates reliever Dovydas Neverauskas (0-1) escaped the 10th unscathed under Major League Baseball’s new rule that puts a runner on second base to start each extra frame. The only Lithuanian-born player in MLB history couldn’t do it again in the 11th. Sogard scorched a pitch down the left-field line to plate Holt and give the Brewers their first lead.

David Phelps (1-0) struck out Bryan Reynolds with the potential tying run on third in the bottom of the inning to end it.

“It was a frustrating night offensively,” Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell said. “We did a lot right in the ninth. The other innings, you know, we left a lot of stuff out there. But we did a great job in the ninth inning, lots of guys.”

Colin Moran homered twice, including a 438-foot shot that bounced into the Allegheny River, for the Pirates.

Moran sent a liner to the seats in right field in the second immediately after a 1 hour, 42-minute rain delay. He put the Pirates ahead 2-1 in the seventh with a long drive over the right-field stands off reliever Devin Williams that wound up in the water.

Veteran outfielder Jarrod Dyson, signed to a one-year deal on the eve of spring training, gave Pittsburgh a 4-1 cushion two batters later when he lined a two-run single over the outstretched glove of second baseman Keston Hiura. Another run scored on a wild pitch to make it 5-1.

It didn’t last.

The Pirates are without closer Keone Kela, sidelined due to COVID-19 concerns. Nick Burdi, who pitched the ninth in a win over St. Louis on Sunday, was unavailable. The guys remaining couldn’t hold it. Pittsburgh reliever Michael Feliz hit Hiura with a pitch to force in a run and Christian Yelich had an RBI groundout before Crick came on to try and close it out for his third career save.

Braun instead zipped one to left field to tie it.