Pirates win third straight
MILWAUKEE (AP) – Brian Giles hit his 25th home run and the Pittsburgh Pirates again beat the Brewers in Milwaukee, 5-3 Saturday night. Giles has homered in each of the first three games of this series for the Pirates, who are 6-0 this season at Miller Park. They were 24-57 on the road in 2001 and are 21-22 this year.
Kevin Young and Chad Hermanson also hit home runs for the Pirates, who are 15th in the National League with 76. But they’ve hit 21 homers in 12 games against Milwaukee.
Giles connected off Jamey Wright (2-8) to open the scoring in the third inning.
The Pirates added three runs in the fourth. Young hit a solo homer, his 11th, and Jack Wilson drove in two runs with a two-out single for a 4-0 lead.
That was all the support Kip Wells (10-6) needed to match his victory total with the White Sox last year, his first full season in the majors. Wells struck out four and walked two before giving up three runs in the seventh.
Mike Williams allowed the first two runners to reach base in the ninth before finishing for his 27th save in 29 opportunities.
Wright left after allowing five hits and four walks while striking out five in five innings.
Hermanson, who was 3-for-4 and scored twice, made it 5-0 with a solo homer off Nelson Figueroa in the sixth.
Milwaukee’s Matt Stairs hit a solo homer to start a three-run rally in the seventh. After Jose Hernandez and Lenny Harris hit one-out singles, Scott Sauerbeck replaced Wells and struck out Paul Bako. Then reliever Brian Boehringer walked pinch-hitter Alex Ochoa to load the bases and gave up a two-run single to Alex Sanchez to make it 5-3.
Boehringer ended the threat by getting Eric Young on a popup to the catcher.
NOTES: Milwaukee 1B Richie Sexson didn’t play for the second straight game due to tendinitis in his left hamstring. … In their previous five victories this season at Miller Park, the Pirates outscored the Brewers 26-8. … Pittsburgh reinstated RHP Josias Manzanillo from the 15-day DL and recalled him from his rehab assignment at Class-A Hickory. To make room for him on the roster, the Pirates optioned RHP Bronson Arroyo back to Triple-A Nashville.