Brewers slip past Pirates, inch closer to Central lead

Adam LaRoche hit his 20th homer of the season for
Pittsburgh.

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Yovani Gallardo pitched seven sharp innings and hit his second homer of the season, helping the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-2 Friday night to inch closer in the NL Central race.

Gallardo allowed five hits and two runs for Milwaukee, which pulled within 11⁄2 games of division-leading Chicago. After taking two of three gams from the Brewers earlier this week, the Cubs lost to Houston 6-1 Friday afternoon.

Derrick Turnbow pitched a scoreless eighth, and Francisco Cordero got three outs to earn his 38th save in 44 chances and complete the six-hitter.

Gallardo’s home run came in the fourth inning, and it was anything but a cheap shot. The rookie right-hander pounded a 1-0 pitch from Pirates starter Tony Armas high and deep over the fence in left-center, with the ball landing in a canopy above the Brewers’ bullpen.

Gallardo (6-4) wasn’t too bad on the mound, either.

Pitching out of trouble

The 21-year-old cruised through the first six innings, allowing his only run on a solo homer by Adam LaRoche in the fourth. Then he pitched out of a jam in the seventh.

Gallardo allowed back-to-back singles to LaRoche and Xavier Nady to lead off the inning, and the Brewers couldn’t turn a double play off a grounder to third by Jason Bay to put runners on first and third with one out. Ronny Paulino doubled in LaRoche to cut the Brewers’ lead to 3-2.

Gallardo issued an intentional walk to Jack Wilson to load the bases — then got pinch-hitter Josh Phelps to strike out looking and struck out Nate McLouth on a 94-mph fastball to end the inning.

Armas (2-5) gave up three runs and four hits in six innings for the Pirates, who have lost three straight.

Armas loaded the bases with one out in the first, giving up a double to Gabe Gross, hitting Ryan Braun with a pitch and walking Prince Fielder. Corey Hart’s sacrifice fly scored Gross, and Armas got Geoff Jenkins to fly out to end the inning.

Gross doubled again with one out in the third. After striking out Braun, Armas ran the count to 3-1 on Fielder and the Pirates decided to walk the Brewers’ slugger intentionally to get to Hart.

But Hart doubled down the left-field line to score Gross and put the Brewers ahead 2-0.

After giving up LaRoche’s 20th home run of the season in the fourth, Gallardo answered with his home run in the bottom of the inning to put the Brewers ahead 3-1.