Prince Fielder hit three homers and drove in five runs. Starters Ross Ohlendorf and Randy Wolf weren’t particularly effective. Each left the game before it was decided and wound up with a no decision. Fielder’s last homer was a two run shot that broke a 4-4 tie in the seventh.
The small lead the Pirates built in the second quickly evaporated. The Pirates tally came when Matt Pagnozzi singled in Neil Walker who had doubled. With two gone in the bottom of the third, Prince Fielder and Rickie Weeks hit consecutive solo dingers.
The Pirate bats got going again in the fifth. Ronny Cedeño led off with a double. Ohlendorf singled on a slug bunt that scored Cedeno to tie the score. Ohlendorf moved up on a ground ball out from Alex Presley and would score on a single from Josh Harrison.
Milwaukee would take the lead in their half of the same frame. Ryan Braun walked with two away and Fielder homered for the second time.
Wolf got wild in the sixth and allowed the Pirates to tie it up. He gave up a double to Walker to get it started. He then walked Ryan Ludwick and Ryan Doumit to load the bases. He also walked Presley to force in the tying run.
With no less than a trace of deja vu, Fielder homered off of Jared Hughes after Braun reached on a walk in the seventh to give the Brewmeisters a 6-4 lead.
That eventually made a winner of LaTroy Hawkins. He tossed a scoreless seventh. Francisco Rodriguez did likewise in the eighth and John Axford set down three Pirates in order in the ninth to end it.
Ohlendorf lasted five innings and gave up four runs. He walked three. He gave up three dingers and two singles. He struck out three. Wolf was lifted after 5-2/3 innings. He gave up nine hits and all four Pirate runs. He also whiffed three and walked three. Hughes was the loser. Axford got his 46th save.
The Good
Presley had two hits. Walker had two hits and scored twice.
The Bad
One more loss until 90.
Ohlendorf only gave up five hits in five innings, but three of them fed his gopher.
The Rest
This was Ohlendorf’s sixth career start against Milwaukee. He came into the game with a 2-3 mark. Wolf had a stellar 9-3 record prior to this, his 19th start against Pittsburgh.
I predicted four homers for Milwaukee in this game in my recap of game #160. I hit that one on the head. I predict Jeff Locke will pitch a perfct game in the season finale.
This was Fielders’ 22nd career multi-homer game and his first career three homer game. This was his third game of five or more RBI in his career and first of 2011.
That last five players to pop three dingers against Pittsburgh in one game:
Albert Pujols – 9/3/06. All three came off Ian Snell.
Vinny Castilla (then with Houston) – 7/28/01. One of Omar Olivares, two off Bronson Arroyo. Bucs score seven in the ninth to win.
Cory Sndyer (then with LA) – 4/17/94. Two off Steve Cooke. One off Jeff Ballard.
Kevin Mitchell – 5/25/90. One off Bob Patterson. One off Bob Kipper. One off Walt Terrell.
Gary Carter – 4/20/77. All three off Jim Rooker.
