Brault thinks he belongs after first quality start

MILWAUKEE — After two starts, it’s unclear how Steven Brault fits into the Pirates’ rotation the rest of the season. But Brault quickly learned how he fits in at the Major League level.

“What I’ve learned is my stuff plays as long as I’m hitting my spots,” Brault said after putting together a quality start in a 3-1 loss to the Brewers on Friday night. “That’s just how it’s going to be forever.”

His second big league start, nearly 3 1/2 weeks after his debut, was an even mix of good and bad — but the end result was encouraging, perhaps even more so because Brault wasn’t at his best.

The 24-year-old lefty, Pittsburgh’s No. 18 prospect according to MLBPipeline.com, allowed seven hits and three walks over six innings. Only 58 of his 106 pitches were strikes. But he limited Milwaukee to three runs, two on a Chris Carter homer in the first inning and another on back-to-back doubles in the sixth.

“There wasn’t a clean inning out there. However, he made pitches,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “I thought it was very blue collar.”

There were mistakes, including …

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