Brewers blank Pirates

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Braden Looper didn’t get the run support he’s used to.

Looper allowed four hits over seven innings to win his fourth consecutive decision and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-0 on Tuesday night.

The Brewers scored an average of 10 runs during each of Looper’s three previous wins since June 29, but all they managed in his latest was Prince Fielder’s two two-out RBI singles.

“I’m sure the guys were trying to score eight or 10,” said Looper, who won for the fourth time in his past five starts overall. “That’s just the way baseball is. You’ve got to take the runs when you can get them and just go out there and try to put zeros on the board. The defense made some big plays behind me, we put up a couple runs and that’s all we needed.”

Craig Counsell went 3 for 4 and scored both runs for the Brewers (48-46), who avoided falling to .500 for the first time since May 2.

Last-place Pittsburgh, which snapped a 17-game losing streak to the Brewers on Monday, was shut out for the ninth time this season.

“You get four hits, you’re not going to win too many games,” Pirates manager John Russell said. “We were fortunate to keep it 2-0. The pitching staff did a nice job keeping us in the game, but you’re not going to win too many games with four hits.”

Looper (9-4) walked three — one intentionally — and had one strikeout.

“We’ve scored some runs for him lately and he’s picked up some wins,” Brewers manager Ken Macha said. “Tonight, he made some pitches. His intensity was high.”

Mike DiFelice and Mitch Stetter combined to work a perfect eighth and Trevor Hoffman earned his 22nd save in 24 opportunities by retiring the side in order in the ninth.

Fielder, whose 86 RBIs is second in the NL, lined a single down the first-base line in the fifth to drive in Counsell for the first time.

In the seventh, Fielder’s liner was the team’s third consecutive single after Pirates starter Virgil Vasquez had retired the inning’s first two hitters.

“Prince had a couple big hits,” Macha said. “That’s the half-full. The half-empty is we left 10 guys on, too. We had chances to score a bunch. But you’ve got give their guy credit, too. He made good pitches.”

Pitching a day following the teams’ benches and bullpens clearing after the Pirates’ Jeff Karstens was hit by a pitch, Vasquez (1-4) lost his fourth consecutive start since winning his Pirates debut June 26. He allowed two runs and nine hits with no walks and four strikeouts.

Late Monday Pirates 8, Brewers 5

PITTSBURGH — Delwyn Young and Garrett Jones homered to help the Pirates end a 17-game skid against the Brewers.

Andrew McCutchen had three hits and scored two runs for Pittsburgh, which snapped the major’s longest losing streak against a single opponent in 39 years. The Baltimore Orioles won 23 straight against the Kansas City Royals from 1969-70.