With the N.L Central Division crown and Wild Card spots still up for grabs, the Milwaukee Brewers managed to earn another important victory that will help their cause in the race to reach the playoffs.
Starter Brent Suter had a solid outing and Ryan Braun homered to lead the Brewers to a 3-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates in a clash of N.L Central rivals.
Suter worked five innings, struck out four and allowed no walks against the Pirates hitters as the Brewers are now just three and a half games back of the Chicago Cubs, leaders of the N.L Central, and two of the Colorado Rockies, who hold the N. L’s second Wild Card spot. The Cubs and the Rockies had a day of rest, which allowed the Brewers to cut the lead.
Suter (3-2) allowed five hits and made just 64 pitches before being taken off the mound. The Brewers used five relievers in the last four innings. Corey Knebel took charge of the ninth and earned his 36th save in 41 chances.
Braun’s solo homer, his seventeenth this season, came in the fourth inning against starter Jameson Taillon (7-7), who took the loss.
In the sixth inning, second baseman Neil Walker hit a single to end Taillon’s job for the night.
All-Star outfielder Giancarlo Stanton hit his 55th homer of the season to lead the Miami Marlins to a 13-1 drubbing of the New York Mets, in a duel of teams that are already eliminated from postseason contention.
Stanton broke a nine-day slump without a home run and is now six behind Roger Maris’ mark of 61 homers in a season. The three-run homer came in the fourth inning off starter Matt Harvey (5-6) and was Stanton’s first in 29 turns at bat.
Stanton’s 55 homers are the most in the National League since Ryan Howard hit 58 in 2006. Stanton added a single in the fifth inning when Miami scored seven runs.
The Marlins won just for the fourth time in the last 21 games.
Dominican outfielder Marcell Ozuna had four hits, including his thirty-fourth home run of the season, while second baseman Dee Gordon also had four hits, including a two-run triple.
Japan’s Ichiro Suzuki added two hits and a run, while rookie Brian Anderson had a two-run triple.
Dan Straily (10-9) struck out eight, allowed three hits and just one run in five innings to earn the win.
