Brewers Complete Sweep Of Pirates Behind Power Surge
PITTSBURGH (AP) - Keston Hiura hit two home runs and drove in three runs Wednesday night, powering the Milwaukee Brewers to an 8-3 win and three-game sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Hiura hit a two-run homer with two out in the first inning for an early 2-0 lead. He sent a fastball from Trevor Williams 388 feet over the wall in right-center. His second homer, the 13th of his rookie season, was a solo shot that made the score 6-1 in the fifth. He also had a double in the third inning.
It was Hiura's first multi-homer game, and came as he had just three hits in his first 21 at-bats in August.
The Brewers moved past the St. Louis Cardinals and into second place in the NL Central, three games behind the division-leading Chicago Cubs. Milwaukee entered the series mired in a four-game losing streak, and had lost six of seven.
The Pirates fell to 4-21 since the All-Star break.
Junior Guerra (5-3) picked up a second win in as many nights. He allowed one hit and one walk in two innings in relief of Drew Pomeranz, who gave up one run in three innings. Pomeranz was pressed into duty after Zach Davies was placed on the 10-day injured list with back spasms Monday.
Williams (4-5) allowed six runs on eight hits in five innings after shutting out Milwaukee in 19 straight innings. The Brewers had not scored off Williams since scoring one run on three hits in a 1-0 win on Sept. 19, 2017.
Jacob Stallings got Pittsburgh on the board with a solo homer, his third of the season, in the third inning. Bryan Reynolds and Starling Marte had RBI singles in the seventh to cut it to 8-3.
YELICH SITS AGAIN
Brewers OF Christian Yelich rested for a second straight day to manage a nagging back injury. He said the issue came after he felt something in his back during Monday's game, where he hit his 38th and 39th homers this season. Yelich considers himself day to day, but manager Craig Counsell said he hopes to have the reigning NL MVP back Friday.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Brewers: OF Lorenzo Cain pinch-hit for Guerra in the sixth inning after sustaining a bruised left knee by fouling a ball off himself on Tuesday. He singled past first base, scoring two to put Milwaukee up 8-1, before staying in to play center field.
Pirates: 1B Josh Bell is expected to return to the lineup Friday after being kept out for a second straight day Wednesday.
UP NEXT
Brewers: LHP Gio González (2-1, 3.35) will go for his fourth win in his past five starts when he goes against Texas on Friday. His three-game winning streak ended his last time out, on Aug. 3, when he gave up one run on five hits in 4 1/3 innings of a 4-1 loss to the Cubs.
Pirates: RHP Chris Archer (3-8, 5.35) will look for his first win in more than two months when he takes the mound against St. Louis on Friday. He last won on June 6, allowing one run on six hits in six innings against Atlanta. Archer is 0-3 in 10 starts since.
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