Baserunning mistake bites Pirates in a Clemente Day loss to Brewers

Colin Beazley, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Sep 15, 2026

Published in Baseball

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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates had a golden opportunity to tie the game against Jacob Misiorowski and the Milwaukee Brewers.

Down a run with two runners on in the fourth, Rafael Flores Jr. hit a grounder that deflected off third baseman David Hamilton’s glove and into shallow left field. Third base coach Tony Beasley, evidently missing the deflection, held Nick Gonzales at third. When he realized and tried to wave Gonzales home, Gonzales remained glued to third. Trail runner Ryan O’Hearn was thrown out with nowhere to go. The third out came on the next pitch.

It proved the Pirates’ best chance in a 5-1 loss to the Brewers on Tuesday night at PNC Park. It wasn’t the first sloppy mistake or missed opportunity the Pirates have had this season.

The Pirates are once again a game under .500. The Brewers need a Chicago Cubs loss to clinch the division, with the Cubs trailing the Braves late Tuesday as of publication.

Misiorowski struck out seven in his five scoreless innings, allowing five hits and a walk. He threw 82 pitches in front of a Roberto Clemente Day bobblehead crowd of 23,961.

The Pirates matched him with a bullpen game that went well early. Lake Bachar started and allowed one run in two innings, leaving the bases loaded in the second. Brandon Eisert retired the first seven hitters he faced, then Yohan Ramirez got the final two outs in the fifth.

But it unraveled against Gregory Soto in the sixth. Soto, who suffered a loss in his last outing on Saturday. Soto allowed four runs on two walks, two doubles and a wild pitch. The final two runs came on a single off of Wilber Dotel, a grounder past Gonzales at third.

Brandon Lowe, the Pirates’ Clemente Award nominee, swatted a solo homer off of the right-field foul pole in the eighth inning. The homer was Lowe’s 30th of the season, the first 30-homer Pirate since Josh Bell in 2019 and the first 30-homer lefty since Pedro Alvarez in 2013.

It was over when …

The Brewers broke it open against Soto. The first run came home on Soto’s wild pitch before Luis Lara hit an RBI double to right, then Joey Ortiz singled past Gonzales to give Milwaukee a five-run cushion.

On the mound

Soto had thrown 12 innings without allowing an earned run before his blown save on Saturday. He has been charged with six runs in his last 1 1/3 innings.

Antwone Kelly threw three scoreless innings in relief, striking out three. The five prior Pirates relievers all had one strikeout. Bachar, Soto and Kelly all walked two.

At the plate

Misiorowski struck out five of the first six Pirates he faced before the Pirates made an adjustment. They hit him well after, even if all five hits were singles.

Flores went 4 for 4 with four singles. Gonzales went 2 for 3 with a walk.

Oneil Cruz went 0 for 4, striking out looking in all four at-bats.

Bucs bites

— Every Pirate wore No. 21 in honor of Clemente. Nine Brewers players, including Christian Yelich, Jackson Chourio and William Contreras, also wore No. 21.

— The Pirates announced which prospects will represent the organization in the Arizona Fall League. No. 5 prospect Wyatt Sanford, No. 8 prospect Easton Carmichael, No. 29 prospect Jhonny Severino, right-handers Brandon Cain, Zander Meuth, Cameron Keshock and Michael Walsh and lefty Cristhian Tortosa will all play for the Glendale Desert Dogs.

— High-A Greensboro was eliminated in the South Atlantic League championship, dropping the second game of a three-game series to Winston-Salem, 2-0.

Up next

The Pirates will continue the three-game series against Milwaukee at 6:40 p.m. ET Wednesday. Right-hander Jared Jones (4-6, 4.10 ERA) will start against Brewers right-hander Logan Henderson (10-3, 2.34).

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