Weeks homers Brewers to a win

Milwaukee has won 16 straight games against the Pirates.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Rickie Weeks hit a tie-breaking, three-run homer in the ninth after a supposedly unavailable Ryan Braun tied it an inning earlier with a two-run double, helping the Milwaukee Brewers rally for a 7-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday night.

The Brewers scored six runs in the final two innings to earn their 16th consecutive victory over Pittsburgh. It’s the longest winning streak in the majors by one team against another since the Diamondbacks took 16 in a row from the Reds from 2001-03.

The Pirates led 3-1 in the eighth behind Paul Maholm, only to see the Brewers tie it when Braun — who wasn’t in Pittsburgh when the game began — doubled to right. Braun underwent an MRI exam in Milwaukee earlier in the day, flew to Pittsburgh and was cleared to play. He gave the Brewers a big lift in a game in which they had done little until then.

Pittsburgh regained the lead at 4-3 in its half of the eighth on rookie Jason Jaramillo’s RBI double, but closer Matt Capps — roughed up for the second successive day — quickly gave the lead back. Jason Kendall and Craig Counsell singled, Corey Hart walked and J.J. Hardy hit a sacrifice fly to tie it.

After running the count full, Capps (0-2) repeatedly attempted a pickoff throw designed to make the runner on third take off, only to have Weeks hit the ball deep into the left-field bleachers for his sixth homer after he finally threw home. Capps has allowed six runs in two innings the last two days.

Mike DiFelice (3-0) won it despite giving up Jaramillo’s double, with Trevor Hoffman pitching the ninth for his fourth save in four opportunities.

The Pirates lost their sixth in seven games, while Milwaukee won its 10th in 14 games.

The Pirates took the 3-1 lead against Yovani Gallardo, who gave up only two hits over eight shutout innings, struck out 11 and homered for the only run in beating them 1-0 last Wednesday. Brandon Moss had a run-scoring triple in the second, Andy LaRoche hit his first homer — and the first by Pittsburgh in seven games — and Nate McLouth singled in a run.

With Braun supposedly out, manager Ken Macha tried wedging another right-handed batter into his lineup against the left-handed Maholm by giving third baseman Bill Hall his first career start in left field.

Hall, the Brewers’ regular center fielder two years ago, lasted only one inning at the position — making a sliding catch of Freddy Sanchez’s line drive — before being lifted with cramping in his right hamstring. The game ended with Braun playing left.

Maholm was much sharper than he was in a 6-5 loss to the Brewers on Tuesday, striking out seven and walking one before Tyler Yates and John Grabow gave up the lead.

Gallardo gave up three runs and seven hits in seven innings, or one more run than he allowed over 23 innings in his previous three starts.