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Crew's offense lifts Parra to victory
Brewers extend dominance over Bucs at Miller Park
By Adam McCalvy / MLB.com
08/28/09 11:53 PM ET
MILWAUKEE -- The Brewers built a lead too large for Manny Parra to let slip away. The left-hander was tagged for six runs in six innings, but the Brewers held on for an 8-6 win on Friday that snapped a three-game losing streak and extended their home winning streak over the Pirates to 19 games. Prince Fielder hit a three-run home run in the first inning for the second successive game, part of Milwaukee's five-run opening frame against Pittsburgh starter Zach Duke (10-12). Ryan Braun and Jason Bourgeois added solo homers -- Bourgeois' first in the Majors -- and Pittsburgh remained winless against the Crew at Miller Park since May 3, 2007. It's the longest streak for one team over another at one venue in 29 years, since Baltimore beat Toronto in 19 straight at Memorial Stadium from 1978-81. That didn't exactly provide solace for Parra. "For my own personal satisfaction, I would like to pitch better," he said. "But at the end of the day, everyone in this clubhouse is happy when we win, so that's all that matters." After Parra exited, David Weathers and Todd Coffey bridged the gap to closer Trevor Hoffman, who notched his 28th save. It was Hoffman's first save opportunity at home since Aug. 13. "It was nice to hear 'Hells Bells' in the ninth inning," said Braun, referring to the AC/DC song that precedes Hoffman's trot to the mound. "It was nice to start the series off like that." "We came out swinging tonight," Brewers manager Ken Macha said. Duke lasted only three innings and allowed seven runs on 11 hits. Seven of the hits came in the first inning, when the Brewers sent 10 men to the plate and built a 5-0 lead. Fielder ran his Major League-leading RBI total to 118 in the first, when he connected with Duke's breaking ball for a three-run shot. Alcides Escobar and Parra added two-out RBI singles to extend the lead. It was a rare letdown for Duke, who entered the night with a 3.38 ERA and had pitched at least seven innings while allowing three or fewer runs in four of his previous five starts. "I felt fine," Duke said, "but for whatever reason, I was out of whack. I felt like I started to find it a little bit, but by that time they were so locked in and taking swings. Escobar jams a ball off his thumb and finds a hole. That was just the way it was going." Parra (9-10) wasn't much better. Staked to leads of 5-0, 6-2 and 8-4, he let the Pirates hang around by allowing six runs on 10 hits and four walks. Bucs center fielder Andrew McCutchen drove in four runs for the visitors, knocking a two-run double in the second inning, when Parra responded to his hitters' five-run outburst by walking two batters including Duke ahead of McCutchen's hit. McCutchen added a two-run home run in the sixth. How would Parra assess his outing? "It doesn't matter," he said in a tense exchange with reporters. "All that matters is we won." Does that imply he wasn't satisfied? "You can take it for what I said," he said. "We won. That's all that matters." On why he might have struggled at points in the game: "Leaving pitches over the plate." On his personal 6-2 record over his past nine starts despite a 6.49 ERA in that span: "We have a good offense. That's what it means. A real good offense. That's pitching with the offense we've got." The outing left the Brewers once again wondering when Parra will turn the proverbial Major League corner. He has the raw talent; four big league-caliber pitches including a fastball that sits easily at 93 mph, and, on Friday, reached 95. But Parra hasn't been able to put together the kind of dominant outings that should go along with his "stuff." The Brewers could have used some outings like that this season, especially while fellow starters Dave Bush and Jeff Suppan were on the disabled list, but instead Parra, who spent three weeks in the Minors working out his kinks, has pitched past the sixth inning just once since a seven-inning stint against the Cardinals on July 9. "Somewhere along the line, you hope Manny Parra can step up and be J.A. Happ," said Brewers GM Doug Melvin, referring to the Phillies left-hander, who is 10-3 with a 2.63 ERA this season. Macha often references another lefty in Philadelphia. Cole Hamels has not exactly been dominant this season, but he pitched eight scoreless innings against the Pirates on Saturday, and Macha gave Brewers pitching coach Chris Bosio a tape of that performance to see if Bosio could find any clues to help Parra. As Macha sees it, Parra could be even better than last year's World Series MVP. "He has a good curveball like Hamels does -- both have a split and a change. Hamels throws about 90 [mph], so Manny has a little better fastball," Macha said. "It's always command, for me."Adam McCalvy is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
