MILWAUKEE -- Upon being traded to the Pirates, Bryse Wilson told Pittsburgh reporters that commanding his pitches would be a big key to success with his new club.

“For me, it’s just command,” Wilson said on Sunday. “The good outing, I won’t have any walks in. The bad outings, 3 or 4. So that’s the biggest thing for me.”

Wilson didn’t quite make it clear where a two-walk outing would rank between “good” and “bad,” but regardless of him taking the loss in Pittsburgh’s 6-2 defeat in Milwaukee, Wilson threw together a solid Pirates debut on Monday at American Family Field. In five innings of work, Wilson allowed just one run on two hits while also walking two. He didn’t have swing-and-miss stuff -- only two of the 38 swings the Brewers took resulted in whiffs -- and he didn’t record a single strikeout on the night, but that ultimately didn’t work against him.

Instead, Wilson limited Milwaukee’s offense by drawing a lot of soft contact. Only five of the 16 balls put in play were hard hits (95-plus mph exit velocity), none were hit above 98 mph, and the two hits he allowed consisted of the two softest-hit balls against him (a 42.4-mph roller to third and a 23.7-mph bunt), though Bryan Reynolds’ defensive play in center field also ensured that number didn’t grow.

In fact, it was only after those two hits that he allowed a sacrifice fly to Milwaukee second baseman Kolten Wong, resulting in the lone run the Brewers managed in the first five frames.

“I think the big pitch was the two-seam,” Wilson said. “Obviously, running it in on the right-handers was big, and the changeup in the big situations, the 2-0s, the 2-1s, all the counts I was behind, we were able to make good pitches with the two-seam and the changeup, and I think that's what helped a lot.” 

“Sometimes, when you see it on video, you don't know what the action is going to be,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “From watching him live from the side and talking to [catcher Jacob] Stallings, the two-seamer really played and was very effective. Definitely a positive impression for the first time out.”

What might be most important for Wilson’s development, though, is just the general change of scenery in being traded to Pittsburgh. 

Wilson said he felt some nerves coming into a new situation with a new team, which likely led to his falling behind in counts against multiple batters in each of his first three innings. But from there, he quickly got settled in with his new club. Wilson retired eight of the last nine hitters he faced, walking just Brewers third baseman Eduardo Escobar in the fourth but immediately inducing a double play to keep the Pirates within a run. 

“Just trying to come into the new situation with a completely open mind, good restart, good reset, and continue to improve my craft and put the team in a good situation to win every time we go out,” Wilson said. “It's been a good transition so far.”

A two-run sixth and a three-run seventh for Milwaukee put Pittsburgh away, demonstrating that there’s still work to be done in the bullpen, but in keeping the bats of the National League Central leaders quiet, Wilson’s night provides some hope that acquiring the 23-year-old will work out in the Pirates’ favor.

“I think for me, it gives me a chance to get some good consistency going, get in a good rhythm, good rotation, good routine,” Wilson said of getting more consistent opportunities with the Bucs. “I think as pitchers in general, especially starting pitchers, that's huge. Bouncing around all the time can be tough. Definitely not an excuse, but it can definitely be tough. I think the consistency is going to be huge and just improve from start to start.”