The Milwaukee Brewers opened their series against the Pittsburgh Pirates with a 7-6 loss on Saturday at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.

Saturday’s loss for the Brewers was the first game of a doubleheader, so they will have another chance to even the series at 3:05 p.m. CT. But for the time being, the Pirates have the advantage.

In the first inning, things started off poorly for right-hander Brandon Sproat when he hit leadoff batter Jake Mangum. After securing the first out, he hit Bryan Reynolds with a pitch to put two runners on.

From there, Sproat allowed an RBI single before a fielding error by Joey Ortiz gave the Pirates a 2-0 lead. In the top of the second, the Brewers responded via a double by William Contreras that was followed by a two-run home run by Jake Bauers to tie the game. 

But in the bottom of the third inning, Sproat gave up a solo home run before hitting his third batter of the afternoon and allowing a walk. After Milwaukee went down in order in the top of the fourth, Sproat was replaced by Craig Yoho, and his final line was three innings, three strikeouts, two hits, two earned runs and two walks.

In the top of the fifth, the Brewers took a 5-3 lead after consecutive doubles by Luis Lara and Cooper Pratt tied the game before Sal Frelick hit a two-run home run that gave Milwaukee the advantage. Shortly after, things got even better for the Brewers.

After both teams went scoreless in the sixth, Garrett Mitchell doubled in the seventh before being driven home by an RBI single off the bat of Contreras. At that point, Milwaukee was enjoying a 6-3 lead, but disaster was lurking just around the corner.

In the bottom of the seventh, Aaron Ashby replaced Chad Patrick on the mound after the latter allowed a leadoff single to begin the frame. When Ashby took over, he allowed back-to-back singles to load the bases before notching a strikeout. 

Then, with a 3-1 count against Esmerlyn Valdez, Ashby delivered a 99-mph sinker toward the top of the zone that Valdez launched to right field for a grand slam. Suddenly, the Brewers were trailing again, and they only had six outs to work with.

In the top of the ninth, it looked as if MIlwaukee would tie or take the lead when it loaded the bases with one out, but Andrew Vaugh grounded into a double play that ended the game. Now, the Brewers must win the second game of the doubleheader to avoid losing the series.

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