Karstens bows out early in Pirates loss to Milwaukee

Jeff Karstens has been extremely dependable for the past two years, but his effort to fight through a groin injury Friday night in Milwaukee might have been ill-considered.

The Pirates starter allowed four runs in just one-third of an inning, setting the table for the Brewers to post a 9-3 win over Pittsburgh in the series opener at Miller Park. Karstens’ start had been in question until Friday afternoon, but the deceptive righty decided to give it a try.

Jeff Karstens recorded only one out in an injury-abbreviated outing Friday night, a 9-3 loss in Milwaukee. Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE

He might’ve immediately regretted the decision, as Aramis Ramirez had a two-RBI hit and Corey Hart blasted a two-run homer to send Karstens to the clubhouse after 20 pitches. He appeared to aggravate his injury in the midst of the Brewers’ rough treatment.

Garrett Jones hit his 22nd homer – a career-best in four seasons – and recent call-up Alex Presley drove in a pair later, but the Pirates (70-61) never got closer than three runs to the Brewers (63-68) after the first inning. Due to the Cardinals’ loss, Pittsburgh remains just one-half game behind St. Louis for the National League’s second wild-card spot.

Former Pirates Ramirez and Nyjer Morgan each collected three hits against Pittsburgh, who employed Kyle McPherson (1 2/3 innings), Kevin Correia (four innings) and Jared Hughes (one inning) to bridge the gap from Karstens through the seventh. But the Brewers teed off against Hinasori Takahashi in the eighth, with Ramirez ripping a two-run bomb to center to trigger a four-run burst that put the game out of reach.

Presley, who started in place of Andrew McCutchen in centerfield, picked up two hits and a walk, as did Pedro Alvarez. The Pirates are now 0-6 in games MVP candidate McCutchen starts on the bench.

The Bucs will look to even the series Saturday night when A.J. Burnett challenges Marco Estrada on the pitching rubber.