Brewers 5, Pirates 3
MILWAUKEE - Right-hander Taylor Jungmann allowed one run over six innings and outfielder Domingo Santana hit a late home run as the Milwaukee Brewers finished a three-game sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates with a 5-3 victory Thursday at Miller Park.
Jungmann (9-5) won for the third time in his last four starts, holding the Pirates to three hits and two walks with three strikeouts.
Shortstop Jordy Mercer had two doubles, walked and scored twice but the Pirates went 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position.
Pittsburgh trailed 4-1 in the seventh before rallying against left-hander Will Smith as pinch-hitter Michael Morse opened the inning with a triple and scored on Mercer's second double.
Pinch-hitter Jung Ho Kang singled to cut the deficit to 4-3 before right-hander Tyler Thornburg finally snuffed out the rally by striking out Aramis Ramirez.
Santana led off the Milwaukee eighth with a solo home run off right-hander Radhames Liz and right-hander Francisco Rodriguez earned his 33rd save with a perfect ninth inning.
Pirates starter Francisco Liriano (9-7) went five innings and allowed four runs on seven hits and five walks while striking out four.
A pitchers' duel for the first four innings, the Pirates stranded the bases loaded in the second and Milwaukee left two on in the second and third before finally breaking through in the fourth with a sac fly by third baseman Hernan Perez.
Pittsburgh evened things out in the fifth when Mercer hit a leadoff double then scored on a groundout by left fielder Josh Harrison.
Milwaukee went back in front in the bottom of the inning when left fielder Khris Davis doubled to center, driving in right fielder Ryan Braun.
NOTES: Pittsburgh OF Andrew McCutchen was held out of the lineup Thursday after aggravating an Achilles tendon strain on Wednesday night. ... Brewers starting RHP Taylor Jungmann is the third pitcher in franchise history to post a sub-2.50 ERA in his first 15 career starts. ... The Pirates have won each of LHP Francisco Liriano's last 11 starts prior to Thursday. He has gone 5-0 with a 3.31 ERA during that stretch. ... The Brewers honored Pirates 3B Aramis Ramirez before the game. Ramirez, who spent 3 1/2 seasons with Milwaukee before he was dealt to Pittsburgh in July, announced during spring training that this would be his final season.