Hardly a masterpiece
PITTSBURGH — This won't be remembered as one of the best games of Ben Sheets' career. Not an 11-hitter in which every Pirates position player had at least one hit.
No matter, Sheets said the Brewers' 4-1 victory Wednesday night was something special, if only for one reason: He was the pitcher at the start of the game and at the finish.
"They're all special to me," Sheets said of his 15th career complete game and second of the season. "They're all tough to get."
Rickie Weeks homered and scored twice as the Brewers, who began the three-game series Tuesday with a 20-42 record at PNC Park, put themselves in position to sweep a series there for the first time since the ballpark opened in 2001. Milwaukee lost nine in a row on the road before the series began.
Sheets (5-1), the Brewers' ace, gave up 13 earned runs over 19X\c innings during his three previous May starts, losing once while getting two no-decisions. He was sharper in this start despite all the base runners, with the Pirates scoring only on Xavier Nady's leadoff homer — his sixth — in the fourth.
"I felt like he was pretty much on top of his game the whole night," manager Ned Yost said. "He made pitches when he needed, and his execution was key in crucial situations."
Sheets was throwing harder in the ninth than he was in the first, hitting 95 mph on the radar gun during the ninth. Pirates catcher Ronny Paulino said, "When we'd get two outs, he'd really come at us with his fastball."
The Pirates left nine on base and were 1-for-15 with runners on base against Sheets
The Brewers took the lead against Ian Snell (2-3) when Corey Hart doubled and scored on J.J. Hardy's single in the second. In the fifth, Weeks reached when first baseman Adam LaRoche misplayed his routine grounder and scored on Ryan Braun's triple. Braun came in on Hart's single to make it 3-1.
Weeks hit his sixth homer with two out in the sixth against Snell, who is winless in seven starts since April 12. Snell, 0-3 over that span, gave up nine hits and four runs, two earned, over six innings.
Snell won twice in his first three starts but hasn't win since, lasting more than six innings only once in those seven starts.
"It's still early, but it's frustrating not getting the results I want early," Snell said.
