Underwood solid after Ponce's early exit

PITTSBURGH -- The Pirates’ losing streak moved to six games after a tough start and early exit set the tone for an 11-2 loss to the Brewers on Saturday at PNC Park.

Cody Ponce, who was given the spot start as part of the Pirates’ six-man rotation plan through the All-Star break, needed 38 pitches to get out of a three-run first inning. Then, he was lifted after allowing two runs with two outs in the second inning.

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After Ponce allowed an RBI single to Avisaíl García, head athletic trainer Rafael Freitas jogged out to the mound with catcher Jacob Stallings and manager Derek Shelton. The Pirates announced Ponce was lifted due to right arm soreness. It’s a concerning sign for the 27-year-old, given he was set back earlier this season with right forearm discomfort and wasn’t going to be ready in time for Opening Day.

“He was having a little soreness there,” Shelton said, “but the decision to take him out, I was going to take him out either way.”

Statistically, Ponce is mired in one of the tougher seasons of his pro career. The right-hander has posted a 5.70 ERA in 36 1/3 innings at Triple-A Indianapolis, and he has given up 12 runs in 9 2/3 innings with the Pirates.

Duane Underwood Jr. continued to be a reliable innings-eater for the Pirates by going 3 1/3 scoreless innings. He’s given the Pirates two or more innings in six of his past eight appearances after largely working as a one-inning option earlier in the season.

“It was huge for us,” Shelton said. “The fact that he was able to extend it and continue to go was very important for us in this stretch that we’re in.”

However, the Bucs mustered only seven hits -- six of them singles -- giving them little hope of coming back after the offensive outburst by the Crew no matter how well Underwood held the line, and the late-inning relievers put the game even further out of reach.

The good news for the Pirates, in terms of managing their pitchers’ workload during this 20-game stretch without an off-day, is they’re into the back half of it now. Eight games remain before the Bucs reach the All-Star break and get some much-needed rest, which means barring more injuries, the team will need to fill just one more spot start.

However, in the short term, the Pirates will need to try to dig out of a stretch of bad outcomes that hasn’t shown any signs of letting up yet.

“Right now, we’re just not giving ourselves any scoring opportunities,” Shelton said. “We have to figure out a way to get out of it.”