The Brewers head into the All-Star break with a rough one still hanging in the air, and Sunday’s finale in Pittsburgh was the kind of game that can drain a road trip in a hurry. Milwaukee dropped the series closer 14-5, with the pitching staff taking the brunt of the damage.
The Pirates got to the Brewers early and never let go. Ryan O’Hearn opened the scoring in the bottom of the second with a double to right field, and a few batters later Henry Davis made it worse when his eighth home run of the season cleared the wall after Jackson Chourio came up just short on a robbery attempt.
Milwaukee did piece together a brief response in the fourth. Chourio doubled in Christian Yelich to trim the deficit to 4-1, and Gary Sánchez later grounded out to bring in another run and make it 4-2. That was the last real spark for a while.
Then the game blew open in a hurry. In the bottom of the fourth, every Pirates hitter reached base before the Brewers could record an out, and the scoreboard flipped to 11-2. Pittsburgh added two more after the first out of the inning, pushing the margin to 14-2 and effectively ending any suspense.
The Brewers finally scratched out some late offense in the eighth, when Brice Turang launched a two-run homer and Garrett Mitchell followed with an RBI double to close the gap to 14-5. By then, the outcome was long settled.
The story of the afternoon was the pitching, starting before the first pitch with Jacob Misiorowski being scratched and Brandon Woodruff moving to the 60-day injured list. Once the game started, the staff never found a foothold.
Robert Gasser lasted three innings but was hit for seven runs on eight hits and two home runs. Jared Koenig didn’t record an out after giving up five runs on two hits and two walks.
Grant Anderson covered one inning and allowed two runs on three hits.
Bryse Wilson was the one bright spot on the mound, returning to the Brewers and throwing three scoreless innings while allowing two hits and striking out four.
At the plate, Chourio was the only Brewer with more than one hit, while Turang finished with the home run and two RBIs. Braden Shewmake had a tough debut, going 0-for-2 with two strikeouts before Andrew Vaughn replaced him.
Now the Brewers get a break. William Contreras is the club’s lone All-Star representative and will play Tuesday in Philadelphia on FOX at 7:00 p.m. The rest of the roster gets time to reset before Milwaukee returns home Friday night to open a three-game series against the Miami Marlins.
In Other News...
Brewers Suddenly Have A Bigger Jacob Misiorowski Concern Than Fans Realized
Jacob Misiorowskis first half was strong enough to send him to his second All-Star Game, but the Brewers are now managing something more immediate than awards season buzz. The right-hander has been one of the most important arms in Milwaukees rotation, and the clubs decision to hold him out of the series against the Miami Marlins after the break underscores how carefully it has to handle a pitcher who has carried a heavy load.
Misiorowski had already been skipped for his final start before the break and did not pitch in the All-Star Game, so the Brewers have been building in caution for a bit. The bigger question now is how Milwaukee maps out the next turn through the rotation, especially with no starter announced yet for the three-game home set, leaving the team to balance short-term coverage with the health of its best arm. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Still Found Value In An Easton McGee Trade
After Easton McGee was designated for assignment earlier in July, the Brewers still managed to turn the right-hander into a little more roster flexibility by sending him to the Royals for cash considerations. McGees Milwaukee stint was brief, with only a couple of major league appearances on the ledger this season, and the move fit the kind of low-risk, low-drama transaction that often follows a pitcher who has been shuttling between levels.
Kansas Citys announcement added the next layer to the deal, with McGee headed to Triple-A Omaha as the Royals sorted out their own pitching picture. The transaction also came with a roster note involving Nick Mears, but for Milwaukee, the more interesting part is simply that a pitcher who had already been pushed off the Brewers active mix still brought back something of value instead of disappearing outright. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Trout Just Validated What Brewers Fans Know About Misiorowski
Jacob Misiorowski has already built a reputation in Milwaukee for making hitters look overmatched, and it apparently does not stop with opposing lineups. Mike Trout recently added a little national validation to what Brewers fans have been saying all along, praising just how hard it is to do anything meaningful against the right-handers stuff. For a pitcher still in the middle of a standout 2026 season, that kind of endorsement from one of the games biggest stars only adds to the buzz.
Trout also floated a playful idea about bringing a fan into the All-Star Game to show how difficult major league pitching really is, which only underscores how extreme Misiorowskis challenge can feel from the batters box. For Milwaukee, the bigger point is simpler: the Brewers have a young arm performing at a level that is getting noticed well beyond their own clubhouse, and the leagues best hitters are starting to say the quiet part out loud. [Read more 🡒]