Pirates routed by Milwaukee

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH

Yovani Gallardo had 10 strikeouts in five shutout innings and the Milwaukee Brewers homered three times to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-0 on Wednesday night.

Ryan Braun, Rickie Weeks and pinch-hitter Jody Gerut hit home runs and Alcides Escobar tripled in consecutive innings for Milwaukee, which has won three straight after a stretch of losing four of five.

Nine of the first 11 Pittsburgh batters that Gallardo (1-2) retired were via strikeout. He allowed three hits and three walks before being lifted after throwing 103 pitches in five innings.

Zach Duke (2-1) allowed each of the Milwaukee homers, ultimately being charged with seven runs and seven hits in five-plus innings. He also walked four and struck out three.

Duke was attempting to become the first Pirates starter to begin a season 3-0 since Tom Gorzelanny in 2007.

All eight Brewers position players had at least one hit, and each except Gregg Zaun had at least a run or an RBI. Escobar and Carlos Gomez each scored two runs.

Braun, who went 3 for 4 with a walk, extended his hitting streak to nine games when he homered to left with nobody on in the first, his fourth of the season. He has hit safely in 13 of 14 games this season.

After scoring an unearned run in the fourth, the Brewers made it 5-0 in the fifth.

Weeks hit his third homer of the season with Escobar aboard and one out, and Gomez scored when Casey McGehee weakly chopped in front of the plate with the bases loaded.

Gerut’s homer, his first and first in his career as a pinch hitter, came on the first pitch he saw from Duke while batting for Gallardo with Escobar aboard in the sixth.

Milwaukee has outscored the Bucs 16-1 in the first two games of the series.