Brewers 1, Pirates 0: Pitchers deliver another blank check at PNC

PITTSBURGH - The Milwaukee Brewers' offense continues to scuffle at PNC Park.

But with how well the pitching staff has performed through the first two games of the series, it hasn't mattered.

Domingo Santana homered in the fourth inning, and Chase Anderson, Anthony Swarzak and Corey Knebel made it stand up the rest of the way as the Brewers shut out the skidding Pittsburgh Pirates for the second straight night on Tuesday, this time 1-0.

Anderson turned in his best start since returning from the disabled list, striking out eight over six innings, and Swarzak and Corey Knebel followed with a combined three innings of lights-out relief.

"At a time and in a place that we really seem to struggle scoring runs, the pitching has picked up the slack, for sure," manager Craig Counsell said. "They're winning games."

The Brewers, meanwhile, moved back to 11 games over .500, tying the high-water mark for the season they'd initially set on July 15. They also clinched a non-losing season with their 81st victory – an unexpected yet big milestone for the still-rebuilding club.

The Central Division-leading Chicago Cubs also won on Tuesday, so Milwaukee remained 3 1/2 games behind in that chase. The team trailed the Colorado Rockies by 1 1/2 games for the second NL wild card, with the Rockies playing late.

"I saw (the Cubs) won," Counsell said. "Look, they're playing pretty darn good. They haven't lost since we were there, and that's starting to feel like a while ago. They're putting together a pretty good stretch.

"This is how it kind of works in September. We've lost a couple games, but we're playing really well through this stretch (9-2 in their last 11). I'm proud of our guys are playing, man. It would be tough to complain."

BOX SCORE:Brewers 1, Pirates 0

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For the second time in as many nights, a solo homer got the Brewers into the lead. This time it was Santana, who lifted one just over the short wall and into the front row in left for his 26th of the season.

Anderson, who came in having won his last two outings and four of six since returning from his seven-week stint on the DL, scattered a pair of singles in the opening two innings.

He went on to set down 10 straight after that, mixing in four strikeouts before pulling off a terrific escape act in the sixth.

Adam Frazier opened with a single and moved to second on an errant pickoff throw by Anderson. Starling Marte followed by dropping down a bunt single, and he quickly stole second on Stephen Vogt to put runners into scoring position with the heart of the Pittsburgh order up.

Anderson (11-3) fanned Andrew McCutchen for the first out, then got cleanup man Josh Bell to fly out to center. Brett Phillips, who ended Monday's 3-0 shutout by gunning down Gregory Polanco at second base, uncorked another laser of a throw home to keep Frazier from tagging and trying to score.

Polanco, up next, popped out to Orlando Arcia to complete Anderson's escape job.

"Throwing out a couple guys against this team before, they respected the arm," Phillips said. "For me, it's just keeping a run there. It's a one-run ballgame and I'm coming up firing, regardless of what they're doing."

In a 99-pitch outing – his longest since throwing 102 against San Diego on June 17 – the right-hander allowed five singles while striking out eight.

"The sixth inning was special, man," Counsell said. "He emptied the tank for about 12, 13, 14 pitches and got the heart of their lineup – the strikeout of McCutchen and the two popups. Really, really gutsy performance there.

"Chase has been doing it for us all year."

The offensive highlight after that Santana homer was probably the 12-pitch walk that Phillips drew from Dovydas Neverauskas in the seventh. That put two on with one out, but Jonathan Villar grounded out and Eric Thames struck out to end the threat.

"The last couple nights we've left some runners out there," Counsell said. "It's important to add on. We've got to leave a little more margin for error for our pitching. We've had some strikeouts the last couple nights in those (clutch) spots, and we need contact."

Swarzak took over for Anderson in the seventh and continued his recent strong play by allowing only an infield single in a two-inning stint.

Knebel struck out a pair in the ninth to save his 21st straight game and 37th overall.

The second consecutive shutout gave the Brewers 12 on the season. It was also the second time they've posted consecutive shutouts; the last time came Aug. 5-6 at Tampa Bay.

Anderson summed up the evening's events succinctly.

"We really only needed one swing tonight, and that was Santana’s home run," he said. "It was a good game, all the way around."

BEHIND THE BOX SCORE

• General manager David Stearns said Jimmy Nelson's shoulder surgery had been pushed back, and that he would provide an update prior to Wednesday's game.

Nelson, who suffered an anterior labrum tear and strained rotator cuff on a dive back into first base on Sept. 8 at Wrigley Field, told reporters last week that his timeline for recovery would be dependent on how much damage the surgeon found in the shoulder once he entered it. 

• There was an unusual sequence in the fifth inning started by Thames' sharp one-hopper down the first-base line that hit crew chief Gerry Davis in the leg as he attempted to get out of the way.

Davis called the ball foul, and manager Craig Counsell challenged. After a review of 2 minutes 42 seconds the call was upheld, and one pitch later Thames drew a walk and reached first anyway.

"You're not allowed to ask for reviews on balls in front of the umpire. If the umpire has to move in a situation like that and he might not see it well, you can ask – but it's a challenge," Counsell said. "In our eyes, it was fair. I thought there was a picture on the scoreboard that showed it hit the line, so I was a little confused why they called it foul."

STAT SHEET

• The 1-0 victory was the 23rd in franchise history with the only run coming on a homer. It was also the second time this season – and this month – it happened. The first was Sept. 1 against Washington, with Neil Walker's first-inning homer holding up.

• After seven more shutout innings over the first two games of the series, the Brewers' bullpen has dropped its ERA to 0.82 over the last 11 games.

TAKEAWAY

The pitching has been something else for the Brewers in this series, as the woeful Pirates have been no match. It's been a far cry from the teams' first two series here, in which Pittsburgh repeatedly ground out tough victory after tough victory.

RECORD

This year: 81-70 (43-34 home; 38-36 away)

Last year: 68-84

NEXT GAME

Wednesday: Brewers at Pirates, 6:05 p.m. Milwaukee RHP Aaron Wilkerson (0-0, 0.00) vs. Pittsburgh LHP Steven Brault (1-0, 4.38). TV: FS Wisconsin. Radio: AM-620.