MILWAUKEE -- Corbin Burnes looked like an ace again, but it was another unproductive day for the Brewers at the plate. 

Burnes threw a season-high 110 pitches in seven quality innings and matched his season high with eight strikeouts, but Giants starter Logan Webb matched him for seven innings and Mitch Haniger’s two-run homer off Milwaukee reliever Peter Strzelecki in the eighth sent the Brewers to a 3-1 loss on Saturday at American Family Field. 

For Burnes, the outing -- seven innings, four hits, one run, three walks, eight strikeouts -- represented a bounce-back from a four-homer dud against the Astros earlier this homestand. For Brewers hitters, it was too familiar. They have scored two runs during the team’s three-game losing streak. 

“Look, we've been facing some adversity and we're not collectively swinging the bats well right now. But it's this group that's going to have to lead us to runs,” manager Craig Counsell said. “Whenever you go in those stretches like this it's really frustrating for the offense, understandably, and puts a lot of pressure on the pitching. 

“But we've just got to hang with these guys. And these guys have just got to keep going, keep having good at-bats and keep working and the runs are going to come.” 

After performing close to league average in April, the Brewers’ offense has sunk to an 82 wRC+ in May, 27th of 30 MLB teams. With shortstop Willy Adames on the 7-day concussion IL Saturday and center fielder Garrett Mitchell still sidelined by a shoulder injury, the Brewers fielded a lineup that finished Saturday’s game with these OPS figures in the bottom five spots in the order:

.546 (designated hitter Jesse Winker)
.476 (right fielder Tyrone Taylor)
.604 (shortstop Brice Turang)
.637 (catcher Victor Caratini)
.591 (center fielder Joey Wiemer)

Counsell earlier on Saturday urged continued patience with Winker, the former All-Star who came to Milwaukee after undergoing neck and knee surgery last fall, saying, “He's struggled, but there's players that have the upside that you've got to stick with them because it's a player that has done really special things in this league not long ago, and he's been through a lot. It hasn't started out the way he wanted it to, but we're in a position where we need to keep devoting at-bats to him and try to get him going.”

Two of those other positions belong to rookies Turang and Wiemer, who have taken their lumps against Major League pitching. After Brian Anderson gave the Brewers some life in the ninth inning with a leadoff double against Giants closer Camilo Doval, and Winker worked Doval for a 12-pitch groundout, Turang battled for nine pitches with two outs but grounded out to end the game.

Both Wiemer (five outs above average, per Statcast) and Turang (three defensive runs saved) have provided exceptional defense, which matters just as much, Counsell argued, as what they have provided offensively. Turang is now as important as ever, with Adames sidelined following a foul ball to the head during Friday’s 15-1 loss. 

“You have to adjust. That’s my biggest thing,” Turang said. “I’m starting to get better swings off, starting to hit the ball hard. Nothing to show for it. That’s baseball. That’s what it is. We’ll just keep grinding, chipping away, having quality at-bats.”

Has it helped having Wiemer going through the adjustment at the same time?

“There’s going to be bad months, there’s going to be good months. It’s how you get through them,” Turang said. “These guys in here have been great to us, helping us get through them. We’re starting to make adjustments and that’s what matters.”

Said Counsell: “We wouldn't be where we're at without those guys and those guys are gaining incredibly valuable experience here. They're getting better because of these at-bats, although sometimes it feels like a struggle and sometimes it is a struggle. But we're relying on these guys, and what they add on the other side of the ball has been very impactful. And hopefully this experience pays off as the season moves on.” 

The Brewers have a .558 OPS in the first six games of this seven-game homestand and have averaged 2.3 runs per game. That puts pressure on pitchers like Burnes, whose only run Saturday scored when his errant pickoff attempt pushed a runner to third base for Michael Conforto’s sacrifice fly. All four Giants hits off Burnes were singles. 

“I feel like I threw really well,” Burnes said, “but you have to tip your cap to the guy on the other side who threw the ball even better.”