Brewers 14, Pirates 1: It’s Sal Frelick’s World, We’re Just Living In It

Box Score
Starting Pitcher: Adrian Houser - 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 95 pitches, 62 strikes (65.3%)
Home Runs: Brice Turang (5), Sal Frelick (2)
Top 3 WPA: Sal Frelick (.207), Joey Wiemer (.115), Adrian Houser (.109) 
Bottom 3 WPA: William Contreras (-.069), Carlos Santana (-.046), Mark Canha (-.030) 

Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

Houser Bounces Back 
After his last two outings saw him concede nine earned runs in ten innings against the Atlanta Braves, Adrian Houser returned to form against the Pirates, putting up a quality start. While the Pittsburghs have a comparatively anemic offense, seeing him take care of business while conceding just one earned run was a positive sign.

Things started off shaky, with Houser walking Alfonso Rivas and giving up a single to Bryan Reynolds. Two subsequent weak grounders would become outs, but they allowed Rivas to score Pittsburgh’s first run. Through the power of positive thinking and friendship, Houser kept the Pirates scoreless through the remainder of the start.

Houser’s velocity on his fastball peaked at 94.0 mph and was still at 93.6 mph by the end of his start. His sinker and four-seam fastball were excellent, and he used the slider to moderate effectiveness, earning a few swinging strikes and a few foul balls.

Frelick’s Five RBI

In one of the best performances of his young major-league career, Sal Frelick went 2-for-3 with two walks and five RBI, piling on the Pittsburgh punishment. His first two RBI came by way of a double in the first inning, a power shot to left field.

He also pummeled a three-run home run to the right field corner in the sixth inning, sending it 355 feet. While it wasn’t the hardest ball ever hit, the placement was key, as it would’ve been a home run in 26/30 ballparks.

Other hitting highlights included Brice Turang hitting a 414-foot no-doubter to right field for his fifth long ball of the season, and Joey Wiemer extending his hitting streak to eight games.

How’d The New Guys Do?

Carlos Santana and Mark Canha combined to go 1-for-9 and didn’t add much value to this game. It’s still way too early to tell, but they’re both yet to have their first real Milwaukee Moment.

Andrew Chafin also made his first relief appearance as a Brewer, and other than looking like he was 3D-printed by the front office to be the stereotypical Milwaukee man, struck out one and allowed no baserunners in the ninth inning.

What’s Next? 

With this win and the Reds' Thursday loss, the Brewers reclaimed the top spot in the NL Central for what seems like the umpteenth time. Unfortunately, the Reds ceded ground to the Chicago Cubs, who have quickly become one of the hottest teams in baseball. They’re in third place, but just 2.5 games behind the Brewers.

Colin Rea will face off against Quinn Priester in the second game of the four-game series. Hopefully, the Brewers will be able to take advantage of an easy schedule to create separation between themselves and the rest of the division. They’ll spend the next nine games facing the Pirates, Rockies, and White Sox.

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