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Brewers scores 6 in 7th inning to beat Pirates 7-2

Aug 28, 2010 - 4:36 AM MILWAUKEE(AP) -- Alcides Escobar got the big hit and made the big play that helped Chris Narveson win for the 10th time this season.

Escobar's triple sparked a six-run rally in the seventh inning shortly after the shortstop's running, over-the-shoulder catch kept the Pirates from possibly breaking open the game, and the Milwaukee Brewers beat Pittsburgh 7-2 Friday night.

The Pirates were up 2-0 and had one on and nobody out when Neil Walker hit a blooper to shallow center field. Center fielder Chris wasn't anywhere near it.

Narveson wasn't either, but he got there - then he turned and doubled Jose Tabata off of first base, too.

"When he hit it, I knew it was going to be in that sort of Bermuda Triangle out there," Narveson said. "I saw where Dickerson was, so the only person who was probably going to get to it was Escobar. For him to catch it, much less turn around and double it off, it was an unbelievable play."

Instead of having two on and nobody out, the bases were empty with two outs.

The Brewers got an RBI single from Corey Hart in the bottom half before Escobar got them going again in the seventh.

His triple on a misplayed ball by right fielder Lastings Milledge scored two to give Milwaukee its first lead of the game at 3-2.

"He just hit it in the right spot," Milledge said. "Every day of the week, I got that play in my back pocket. Today, I didn't make it."

After Escobar's triple, Jonathan Lucroy followed with an RBI single. Joe Inglett, batted for Narveson (10-7) and singled for his major-league leading 19th pinch hit.

Hart doubled in a run before Ryan Braun added a two-run double.

James McDonald (2-4) was cruising along in his 10th major-league start before falling apart in the seventh.

"They put the bat on the ball," McDonald said about the seventh inning. "They hit a handful of balls hard. It wasn't like it was gap to gap to gap to gap to gap. They just put the ball in play."

Narveson pitched seven innings in his longest start since he went eight in a 3-0 win June 27 against Seattle. He allowed two runs on seven hits while striking out eight and walking one.

He joined Yovani Gallardo (11-6) and Randy Wolf (10-10) with a double-digit win total.

"It's nice," Narveson said. "It definitely was a goal of mine to be able to get to."

The Brewers snapped a four-game losing streak and prevented the Pirates from winning what would have been a season-high three straight.

McDonald retired 15 of the first 16 batters he faced. Other than Escobar's infield single in the third, McDonald was in command while striking out six without a walk.

Chris Snyder's solo shot to left in the fifth extended the Pirates' lead to 2-0. Ronny Cedeno singled for the first run of the game in the second inning.

Notes: Gallardo and clubhouse attendant Alex Sanchez were robbed at gunpoint early Friday, hours after Milwaukee's ace pitched in a loss to the Dodgers. Gallardo did not take any questions after briefly discussing the incident outside the team clubhouse before the start of the Brewers' three-game series against Pittsburgh. ... Milledge was nearly thrown out on Cedeno's single. He took off from second on Cedeno's line drive to right field. Hart fielded the ball cleanly and fired home to Lucroy. Milwaukee's rookie catcher mishandled the throw on what could have been a very close call for umpire Bill Miller, allowing Milledge to score and give Pittsburgh an early 1-0 lead. ... Pittsburgh took the final two games of a series at home against St. Louis before coming to Milwaukee.