BY JOHN PERROTTO

The Pirates felt this loss was the result of some sleight of hand.

Or sleight of arm, to be more precise.

The Brewers’ Tyler Jungmann mesmerized the Pirates in winning his major league debut, 4-1, Tuesday night at PNC Park, holding them to one run and three hits in seven innings.

It seemed hard to believe that Jungmann was the same pitcher who was 2-3 with a 6.92 ERA in 11 games at Class AAA Colorado Springs this season. But the Pirates said they had a hard time seeing the ball because of his unusual delivery.

“I think the crossfire in his delivery presented some deception,” Clint Hurdle said.

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BY JOHN PERROTTO

The Pirates chose all college players — a total of eight — Tuesday during the second day of the Major League Baseball Draft.

They went heavy on pitching, using six of their eight picks in that area. They also chose a third baseman and an outfielder.

In all, 10 of the 11 picks have been college players. The last time for that many collegians in the first 10 rounds was in 2006 under former general manager Dave Littlefield. It was also the last draft in which Kevin McClatchy was the Pirates’ principal owner.

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BY JOHN PERROTTO

In some respects, it seems A.J. Burnett tilts at windmills when it comes to his changeup.

Burnett is 38 and insists he is in the final year of his career. Yet he’s still trying to perfect the change, something that has eluded him for more than a decade of trying.

However, the right-hander’s changeup was his best pitch Monday night as he took a tough-luck loss, giving up one run in seven innings as the Pirates fell, 2-0, to the Brewers on a wet evening at PNC Park that included two rain delays. The last out was at 12:28 a.m.

That is why he could take something positive away from a night when his six-start winning streak ended and the Pirates lost for the just second time in seven games, dropping the opener of a three-game series after going 7-3 on their just-completed road trip.

“I mixed it in quite a bit,” Burnett said. “They’re an aggressive team and it worked to my advantage. It’s a good pitch to have, especially when the hook isn’t working so well.”

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BY JOHN PERROTTO

Kevin Newman had never been selected in the Major League Baseball Draft, and being passed over as a high school senior in Poway, Calif., three years ago still smarts.

Yet that didn’t stop the University of Arizona shortstop from having a good feeling this year.

Newman felt strongly the Pirates would select him in the first round with the 19th overall pick and he was proven right Monday night.

“I would say they were the team that saw me the most or the second-most of all the organizations,” Newman said. “All their front office people came in, and I got the impression they were very interested. It’s exciting. It’s a dream come true.”

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