PITTSBURGH – Ninety.
For only the second time in franchise history, the Milwaukee Brewers have reached that notable benchmark for wins in back to back seasons.
The Milwaukee Brewers, fresh off their first off-day in two weeks, rolled into PNC Park and cruised to a 7-2 win to improve to 90-67 this season.
It's the 11th time in the franchise's 56 seasons that the club has reached 90 wins, but the only previous time that it happened in consecutive seasons was 1978 and 1979 when Milwaukee missed the playoffs because only two teams from each league qualified.
BOX SCORE: Brewers 7, Pirates 2
The Brewers club record for wins remains 96.
They will likely need to win their five remaining games to find themselves in position for a first-round bye. With the Philadelphia Phillies losing Tuesday, Milwaukee sits 2 ½ games back of the No. 2 seed (in addition to not owning the tiebreaker over the Phillies).
Sal Frelick rocket sparks second-inning outburst
Brewers rightfielder Sal Frelick has been creating more hard contact of late. A run-scoring double to put the Brewers ahead, 1-0, in the top of the second Tuesday was his third extra-base hit of 100+ mph in Milwaukee's past seven games. Frelick had just nine all year before this stretch.
Frelick, who drove in Willy Adames after he stole a base for a 30/20 season, then scored on Joey Ortiz's two-run single through a drawn-in infield to make it 3-0.
Tobias Myers goes four innings in abbreviated start
It wasn't a sharp start out of the gates for Tobias Myers in what could be his final time on the mound before the playoffs begin. The Pirates tagged him for four hits in a two-run bottom of the second inning, and the Brewers right-hander had only two called strikes and two whiffs through two innings.
Myers looked much better in the third and fourth before he was pulled after just 49 pitches in what was a shortened start as the season winds down. He got his velocity back up to its more typical levels and struck out two to finish with just the two runs allowed.
Hoby Milner, Colin Rea, Trevor Megill, Joel Payamps and Joe Ross combined to get the final 15 outs without allowing the Pirates to score.
Walking around the carousel
Jackson Chourio led off the top of the seventh with his second single of the night. It would be the only hit Milwaukee needed to score three runs in the inning.
Blake Perkins, William Contreras, Willy Adames and Rhys Hoskins all drew walks against right-hander Isaac Mattson, bringing the Brewers' lead to 6-2. Pirates manager Derek Shelton had seen enough and went back to the bullpen for left-hander Joey Wentz. Frelick followed with a sacrifice fly that pushed the advantage to five.
Brewers time, TV, radio
The Brewers game starts at 5:40 p.m. Tuesday
TV: Bally Sports Wisconsin. Radio: AM-620 and a state network
Brewers lineup
- Jackson Chourio LF
- Blake Perkins CF
- William Contreras C
- Gary Sanchez DH
- Willy Adames SS
- Rhys Hoskins 1B
- Sal Frelick RF
- Joey Ortiz 3B
- Brice Turang 2B
- Tobias Myers SP
Pirates lineup
- Isiah Kiner-Falefa SS
- Bryan Reynolds LF
- Oneil Cruz CF
- Andrew McCutchen DH
- Joey Bart C
- Bryan De La Cruz RF
- Jared Triolo 3B
- Nick Yorke 2B
- Billy Cook 1B
- Bailey Falter SP
What is the Brewers record?
The Brewers are 89-67.
Brewers schedule
Brewers at Pirates, 5:40 p.m. Wednesday. Milwaukee RHP Freddy Peralta (11-8, 3.69) vs. Pittsburgh TBA. Broadcasts: TV – Bally Sports Wisconsin. Radio – AM-620.
Brewers at Pirates, 11:35 a.m. Thursday. Milwaukee RHP Aaron Civale (7-9, 4.53) vs. Pittsburgh TBA. Broadcasts: TV – Bally Sports Wisconsin. Radio – AM-620.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brewers 7, Pirates 2: Milwaukee reaches a victory milestone and stays alive for a bye
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