Pirates suffer 2nd-most lopsided loss of season as Brewers blast 5 homers

With reigning NL Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes on the mound, the Milwaukee Brewers didn’t require much cushion for comfort against the Pittsburgh Pirates, especially with the calendar flipped to July.

A seven spot proved to be plenty.

Where the Pirates hit 44 home runs in June, including five in the series opener against their NL Central rival, they found no luck against Burnes.

This time, the long balls belonged to the Brewers.

Milwaukee homered three times off Roansy Contreras in a seven-run second inning and Willy Adames added a grand slam in the eight-run eighth to cruise to a 19-2 win over the Pirates on Friday night before 20,409 at PNC Park.

“It’s challenging when you give up any runs with Cy Young Award winners on the mound,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said of Burnes, who allowed one run on one hit and four walks while striking out five on 100 pitches. “The one thing we did is we did run his pitch count up. We got him out after the sixth. Continued to grind through at-bats. But, yeah. When you get behind guys like that, it’s extremely challenging.”

It marked the seventh time this season the Pirates have allowed 10 or more runs and was their second-most lopsided loss behind only the 21-0 loss at the Chicago Cubs on April 23.

After cruising through the first inning on 11 pitches, Contreras gave up seven runs on five hits in a 41-pitch second before getting the hook after surrendering his third home run.

“When you don’t land any breaking stuff, you get a really good fastball-hitting team that’s sitting fastball,” Shelton said, “and that’s what happened.”

The inning started with a single to left by Andrew McCutchen, who scored on a Kolten Wong double when Pirates center fielder Bryan Reynolds lost the fly ball in the sun. Luis Urias followed by smashing a 2-1 fastball 412 feet to center for a 3-0 lead.

After Contreras got Omar Narvaez to pop up to short, Keston Hiura drove a 1-1 fastball 416 feet to left for a solo homer and 4-0 lead. Jonathan Davis drew a walk and Willy Adames reached on a fielder’s choice, setting the stage for Rowdy Tellez to smack a three-run homer 407 feet to right for a 7-0 lead.

“I think the biggest fault here was just executing breaking balls,” said Contreras, who lasted only 1 2/3 innings. “It’s something that I was trying to dominate. I wasn’t able to get the grasp of it. It’s definitely something that I’m going to go review and make whatever adjustment I have to make so I don’t go through this again.”

Tellez did more damage in the fourth against Austin Brice, delivering a two-run double to right to score Christian Yelich and Adames and give the Brewers a 9-0 lead. Tellez finished with five RBIs and two runs scored.

Burnes tossed five no-hit innings before Bligh Madris broke it up in the sixth with a one-out double that put Ke’Bryan Hayes at third. Hayes scored on a wild pitch by Burnes, sliding feet-first past Narvaez. Hayes had endured a scary collision with Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras when he slid head-first to score the winning run in a 10-inning walk-off win on June 23 that caused him to miss the next two games.

The Brewers reached double digits in a brutal eighth for lefty reliever Cam Vieaux, who gave up eight runs (seven earned) on six hits, three walks and an error.

Urias hit a ground-rule double, reached third on Hiura’s single and scored on a passed ball when Vieaux’s pitch hit the top of Perez’s mitt and glanced off the facemask of home plate umpire Angel Hernandez.

They made it 11-1 when Yelich hit a bases-loaded grounder to first, where Josh VanMeter looked for the forceout at second and didn’t make the toss to Vieaux in time to get Yelich. That loaded the bases for Adames, who drove a 1-1 changeup 411 feet into the visiting bullpen for his 16th home run and fourth career grand slam to make it 15-1.

The Brewers weren’t done yet.

Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz dropped a pop fly in shallow center that allowed Tellez to reach first, McCutchen singled and pinch hitter Mike Brosseau followed with a two-run double to the North Side Notch for a 17-1 lead. No wonder Pirates fans cheered wildly when Vieaux finally recorded his first out against the 11th batter he faced, getting Narvaez to fly out to center.

“It was either Cam or going to a position player,” Shelton said. “We didn’t catch a pop-up. We didn’t cover first on a ground ball. The over-swing and the ball that went underneath Hoy’s glove. Once he got the first out, it was just hitter-by-hitter. Unfortunately, he didn’t get the first out until about pitch 50.”

The Pirates added a run in the eighth, thanks to a challenge. Hoy Park drew a leadoff walk, reached third on a Daniel Vogelbach single and scored when Cruz grounded into a would-be double play. Cruz was called out at first by umpire Carlos Torres but the call was overturned, allowing Park to score to cut it to 17-2.

Problem was, the Pirates were short on bullpen arms so they had VanMeter pitch for the second time this season in the ninth inning. The Brewers teed off on him, too. Victor Caratini hit a leadoff homer to right for an 18-2 lead. Tyrone Taylor singled to right, reached third on McCutchen’s double off the left-field wall and scored on a groundout to third by Brousseau to stretch the Brewers’ lead to 19-2.

“We have to flush this one,” Shelton said. “Obviously, we didn’t pitch well, and the game got a little sloppy in the eighth. Then we faced Corbin Burnes, who’s really good. So, yeah. Just flush it, move on and come back out tomorrow.”