Pirates 2 - 4 Brewers
Final
  for this game

Red-hot Brewers return home to face Pirates

Apr 11, 2014 - 1:35 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - National League Central Division rivals square off at Miller Park Friday, as the Milwaukee Brewers host the Pittsburgh Pirates in the opener of a three-game weekend series.

Six of the Pirates' first nine games have been decided by one run, and they have won five of them.

"They're fun. That's who we are," manager Clint Hurdle said of the tight games. "The guys are just getting dirty with it."

Of course, Hurdle would love to see cleanup hitter Pedro Alvarez continue his tear at the plate. Alvarez became the first Pirates player to have two multi- homer games in the first eight games of the season. He went deep again on Thursday afternoon along with teammate Travis Snider as Pittsburgh claimed a 5-4 win over the Chicago Cubs.

"He's become much more aware of where he gets pitched, and has learned that he is much better served when he hits the ball hard where it's pitched," Hurdle said of Alvarez. "There isn't a ballpark that can hold him, and he can leave any park from line to line."

At 7-2, Milwaukee is tied with Washington for the best record in the majors and holds a one-game lead over Pittsburgh in the NL Central standings. The Brewers are back home after wrapping up an impressive 6-0 road trip in Boston and Philadelphia.

"The Pirates are coming to town, so we have to treat them just like we did Boston and Philly," Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy said. "We have to take them seriously and be ready to roll."

Toeing the rubber for Milwaukee will be right-hander Wily Peralta, who allowed five runs (two earned) in five innings of an eventual 7-6, 11-inning loss at Boston last Saturday.

"It's going to be tough," Peralta said. "Pittsburgh has a good team, they showed that last year. St. Louis pretty much has the same team. We definitely have a better team, I know that."

For Pittsburgh, lefty Francisco Liriano gets the nod and will look to rebound from a tough outing against St. Louis last weekend. Liriano went six innings and allowed four runs in that game, including three in the opening frame, as the Pirates went on to fall, 6-1.

The Bucs went 12-7 against Milwaukee last year, and that includes a 5-4 mark inside Miller Park. During a five-year stretch through 2011, they had lost 38 of 42 at Milwaukee.






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