MILWAUKEE (AP) — Kyle Harrison collected a career-high 12 strikeouts and allowed just one hit and one walk in six scoreless innings as the Milwaukee Brewers avoided a sweep by beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-0 on Sunday.
The Pirates were attempting to complete a sweep in Milwaukee for the first time since winning four straight games here in August 2016. The Pirates’ last sweep of the Brewers came August 2022 at Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh’s only hits were Marcell Ozuna's single against Harrison (2-1) in the second and Nick Gonzales' double off Trevor Megill in the seventh. The Pirates struck out 18 times.
Jake Bauers hit two doubles for the Brewers, who snapped a four-game skid.
Milwaukee scored all its runs off Carmen Mlodzinski (1-2) in the fourth inning.
Mlodzinski held Milwaukee hitless until William Contreras capped a 10-pitch at-bat with a leadoff single in the fourth. Contreras advanced to third on Bauers’ ground-rule double and came home when Gary Sánchez bounced out to second.
Milwaukee then got three straight two-out hits to extend its lead to 5-0.
Bauers came home on Luis Rengifo’s single up the middle after Sal Frelick reached on catcher’s interference to keep the inning alive. David Hamilton doubled home Frelick, then Brandon Lockridge singled home Rengifo and Hamilton to knock Mlodzinski out of the game.
Pittsburgh loaded the bases in the eighth with two walks and an error, but Aaron Ashby ended the threat by retiring Bryan Reynolds on a grounder to second.
Milwaukee didn’t hit a homer for a seventh straight game. That represents the Brewers’ longest such drought since August 1999, when they went a franchise-record 13 consecutive games without a home run.
Pirates: Return home for a four-game series with the St. Louis Cardinals. The starting pitchers for Monday's series opener are St. Louis' Dustin May (3-2, 5.84 ERA) and Pittsburgh's Mason Montgomery (1-0, 3.97).
Brewers: Off Monday before starting a three-game home series with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Chad Patrick (1-1, 2.35) pitches for Milwaukee on Tuesday. The Diamondbacks haven't named their starter.
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