Franklin's pitching is strong

Pittsburgh's four-game winning streak was snapped by Milwaukee.
MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Wayne Franklin has become a bright spot in an otherwise dismal season for the Milwaukee Brewers.
Franklin took a no-hitter into the sixth inning, and Milwaukee pitchers allowed only four hits overall as the Brewers beat Pittsburgh 9-2 on Monday night and snapped the Pirates' four-game winning streak.
The Brewers started the season 13-28, but are 23-23 since May 16. In that span, the Brewers are 10-1 in Franklin's starts. They trail the fifth-place Pirates by three games.
"He's been on a series of strong performances for us lately," Milwaukee manager Ned Yost said. "He's really settling into his spot in the rotation nice."
For the record
Franklin is 4-1 with six no-decisions and a 3.26 ERA since May 16. He didn't give up a hit until Jeff Reboulet tripled to center to open the sixth.
"All my pitches were working," Franklin said. "I wasn't making too many mistakes in the strike zone."
He was pulled for a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the sixth after yielding one run on two hits and three walks. He struck out five.
Kip Wells' winless streak stretched to six starts for the Pirates. Wells (2-4), who hasn't won since May 31, allowed seven runs -- six earned -- on seven hits in 52/3 innings.
Luis Vizcaino, Leo Estrella and Shane Nance pitched the final three innings for Milwaukee.
The Brewers led 3-1 when Franklin was removed after throwing only 85 pitches. The move worked -- Milwaukee scored four runs with two outs in the sixth to open a 7-1 lead.
"It was tough," Yost said of the decision. "I made up my mind that if the runner got to second, I was going to take a chance of squeezing in one more run. It worked out for us."
With two outs, pinch-hitter Keith Ginter was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Eric Young followed with a single to right, scoring Wes Helms and Royce Clayton for a 5-1 lead.
Pitch lands in stands
Two pitches later, Wells threw a wild pitch that bounced into the stands. That allowed Ginter to score and Young to move to second. Brady Clark's RBI single made it 7-1.
Milwaukee increased its lead to 9-1 in the seventh on a run-scoring fielder's choice by Keith Osik and a sacrifice fly by Royce Clayton.
Pittsburgh recalled 1B Randall Simon from his rehab assignment with Triple-A Nashville. Simon has been on the DL since June 21 because of a torn ligament in his left hand. He pinch-hit in the eighth and flied out.