Wade Miley returns from injured list to lead shutout of Pirates as Brewers remain in first
Four hours before first pitch, Wade Miley sat fully uniformed in a swivel chair in front of his locker in the Milwaukee Brewers clubhouse.
Think he was chomping at the bit to be back?
Miley, one month to the day after being placed on the injured list with a left lat strain, spun five scoreless innings in his return to the mound Saturday at American Family Field to lead the Brewers to a 5-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates to remain in first place and secure a series victory.
When Miley left his start early in St. Louis on May 16, it was initially anticipated he would miss upward of two months, but the veteran left hander was able to expedite the recovery process due to feeling symptom-free early on.
Against Pittsburgh, Miley turned his anticipation into domination.
He carved up the Pirates in vintage Wade Miley fashion, with lots of balls in contact and nearly all of it weak and on the ground. He allowed only two hits, struck out four and recorded eight of his final 12 outs via ground balls.
Miley was pitching with a lead from the third inning on thanks to Joey Wiemer’s second home run in as many days, a two-run home run that traveled 366 feet to right field.
Rowdy Tellez extended the lead with his first extra-base hit since June 1 and second since May 22, a two-out, two-run double that snuck under rightfielder Connor Joe’s glove to push the lead to 4-0.
It was an impressive offensive performance considering the opponent, Pirates starting pitcher Mitch Keller.
Keller has been one of the National League’s top hurlers this year, entering the day with an 8-2 record and 3.41 earned run average. But the Brewers tagged him for four earned runs on five hits and three walks, chasing him after his second-shortest outing of the year.
Blake Perkins socked his second home run of the year with a pinch-hit blast with two outs in the eighth to push the lead to 5-0.
Peter Strzelecki, Hoby Milner, Elvis Peguero and Trevor Megill combined to keep the Pirates off the board over the final four innings to ensure a second win in a row after losing six straight.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wade Miley leads Brewers to shutout of Pirates in return from IL
