Bell has 4 hits, McCutchen 3 as Pirates beat Rockies 13-5

By Michael Kelly, The Associated Press

http://www.espn.com/mlb/

July 22, 2017

Andrew McCutchen smiles after scoring on an infield single by David Freese off Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Jeff Hoffman in the first inning of a baseball game Friday, July 21, 2017, in Denver. (David Zalubowski/AP Photo)

Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/sports/article163058038.html#storylink=cpy

DENVER -- A rough first inning could have meant an early exit for Pittsburgh starter Trevor Williams. The rookie settled down, though, and rode his offense to his first win in more than a month.

Williams pitched 6 2/3 strong innings, and the surging Pirates beat the Colorado Rockies 13-5 on Friday night.

Pittsburgh has won a season-high six straight and 12 of 14 to move a game above .500 for the first time since starting the season 3-2.

"When we play our best baseball we can compete with any team out there," said Andrew McCutchen, who had three hits and reached base five times. "Right now we're doing it. Our starting pitchers have been phenomenal, and that's the main reason we're doing what we're doing."

Rookie Josh Bell had a career-high four hits and Jordy Mercer homered for the Pirates (49-48), who tied a season high with 18 hits to kick off a nine-game road trip. They are within two games of first-place Milwaukee in the NL Central.

"We're playing really well right now and this road trip is big for us," Williams said. "If we finish good with this road trip, things are looking up for us."

Pittsburgh jumped on Colorado starter Jeff Hoffman (6-2) and chased him three batters into the fourth inning. Bell had an RBI single in the first and a three-run double in the second when the Pirates took the lead for good. Bell had a season-high four RBI.

Hoffman struggled in his worst outing since allowing nine runs in 3 2/3 innings against Arizona exactly one month earlier. He walked four, hit a batter and left after Bell's third hit of the game.

"It was my fastball command. I couldn't locate it," Hoffman said. "Especially when I needed it. When you can't locate that one it is really hard to get out of any kind of jam."

Nolan Arenado homered for the fourth time in two games and drove in two runs for Colorado, which had its four-game winning streak stopped.

Arenado's 82 RBI leads the majors.

Williams (4-4) allowed three runs in the first inning but after Tony Wolters' leadoff double in the second he didn't allow a hit until Arenado's solo homer, his team-leading 22nd, in the sixth. Williams left after a two-out single by Wolters, who scored on a double.

"We got a big, big effort from our starting pitcher," Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. "For him to pitch into the seventh inning after giving up three in the first, with the pitch efficiency he had, it was impressive. That won't go down as a quality start but that's a quality start -- and even more."

Williams helped the cause with a walk and a run in the second and his second career hit in the fifth. The Pirates had 10 players get hits, including both pitchers. Reliever Jhan Marinez had a double in the eighth for his first career hit.

"You have a lot of advantages here in this ballpark as a hitter," McCutchen said. "The altitude, the ball plays fast on the ground and it's very big, a lot of room to run. You have all that going for you."

McCutchen, who walked twice, had a chance to reach base for a sixth time but grounded out in the ninth. Bell followed with a triple to finish a homer shy of the cycle.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Pirates: OF Gregory Polanco left the game in the fourth inning with left hamstring discomfort. Polanco was injured running out a fielder's choice and immediately went to the dugout and was replaced by John Jaso. The Pirates announced Polanco was day-to-day.

Rockies: RHP Tyler Chatwood (right calf strain) threw 44 pitches in two simulated innings Friday and felt fine, manager Bud Black said. "No issues with the calf," Black said. "We'll chart the next course of action but as far as physically, he's in a really positive spot, and we feel really good about that. And so does Tyler."

TARGET PRACTICE

Colorado pitchers combined to hit four batters Friday, which tied a franchise record. It was done three times previous, the last time coming April 24, 2005, against the Dodgers.

UP NEXT

Pirates: RHP Chad Kuhl (3-6, 4.85 ERA) struck out a season-high seven in his last start but had a no-decision against Milwaukee on Monday.

Rockies: RHP German Marquez (7-4, 4.34 ERA) will face the Pirates for a second time this season. Marquez got the win in Pittsburgh on June 14.

Polanco homers, Pirates beat Brewers 4-2 for 4-game sweep

The Associated Press

http://www.espn.com/mlb/

July 20, 2017

Pittsburgh Pirates' Gregory Polanco hits a solo home run off Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Jimmy Nelson in the fourth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Thursday, July 20, 2017. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Pirates spent a good portion of the first half of the season trying -- and failing -- to find any sort of traction.

Once they'd figure out one problem, another would pop up. If it wasn't the bullpen, it was the mess left by outfielder Starling Marte's 80-game steroid suspension. Or the back end of the starting rotation. Or the massive funk that baffled star center fielder Andrew McCutchen.

Two hot weeks have changed the discussion dramatically.

Gregory Polanco homered, Chris Stewart added three hits and the surging Pirates completed a four-game sweep of the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers with a 4-2 victory on Thursday.

The Pirates have won 11 of 13 and moved within three games of Milwaukee in a division that's tightened up since the All-Star break. The Brewers have lost five straight, cutting their lead to one game over the idle Chicago Cubs.

"When you've got guys showing up and stars showing up like they did this homestand, good things are going to happen," said McCutchen, who provided some insurance with an RBI single in the fifth off Jimmy Nelson (8-5). "When we play our best baseball, we can compete with anybody."

The Pirates focused on pressuring Milwaukee's defense during the series, forcing the issue whenever it had the chance. They scored three of their four runs by taking risks that paid off beautifully. Adam Frazier singled with two outs in the second and scored on Stewart's single to right. With the game tied at 2 in the fifth, Stewart led off with a single then moved to second on a sacrifice bunt.

The 35-year-old catcher -- who spent time on the disabled list this season with hamstring issues -- chugged home from second on a two-out single to right by Josh Harrison. Harrison went to second when right fielder Domingo Santana's throw missed the cutoff. Harrison then scored on a flare to right by McCutchen.

"I think we want to be in the right position to take that extra step," Stewart said. "I know there's two outs so I'm getting a couple extra steps off second base and going on the crack of the bat. We focus on those types of things."

Jameson Taillon (6-3) struck out a season-high eight in 5 1/3 innings. Felipe Rivero worked a perfect ninth for his ninth save. Pittsburgh is .500 (48-48) for the first time since April 16, two days before Marte's suspension began.

"I wouldn't say it's good to be at .500, but it's good to be playing good baseball," Stewart said. "We feel like we're doing what we thought we were capable of doing."

Taillon threw career-high 116 pitches before giving way to four relievers that kept slumping Milwaukee. Juan Nicasio worked out of a two-on, one-out jam in the eighth and Felipe Rivero worked a perfect ninth for his ninth save as the Pirates put together their first four-game home sweep since taking four straight from St. Louis in July, 2013.

The Brewers were one of the biggest surprises in baseball during their first half. They took a 5 1/2 game lead into the All-Star break but have seen that all but erased in the span of seven days. The problem isn't so much the pitching but the offense. Milwaukee has managed just 13 runs during its five-game losing streak, tied for its longest of the season. The Brewers left nine men on and went 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position on Thursday.

"Their bullpen was really tough on us manager Craig Counsell said. "Their starters bent a couple (of) innings, but we didn't get that big inning that really kind of gave us a big lead ever."

Nelson gave up four runs on six hits, with a walk and five strikeouts and isn't overly concerned about his team's rut.

"I mean, we're still in first place," Nelson said. "You're not going to win every single game, you're not going to win every single series. But there's a lot of games left to be played and we know what we're capable of. It doesn't make us question our ability by any means."

TRAINER'S ROOM

Brewers: OF Ryan Braun was held out of the lineup for a second consecutive day as the team tries to monitor his workload while he played through a strained left calf that's bothered him all season. Braun entered as a pinch hitter in the sixth and flew out with two on and two outs. ... 2B Eric Sogard(sprained left ankle) could rejoin the team during its weekend series in Philadelphia.

UP NEXT

Brewers: RHP Matt Garza (4-4) starts for Milwaukee as it begins the next leg of a 10-game road trip on Friday against the last-place Phillies.

Pirates: Start a nine-game, 10-day western road trip in Colorado on Friday. Rookie RHP Trevor Williams (3-4) faces fellow rookie Jeff Hoffman (6-1) in the opener.

WHO ARE THE TOP 50 RUSSIAN NHL PLAYERS OF ALL TIME?

By: Ken Campbell

http://www.thehockeynews.com/

July 18, 2017

Evgeni Malkin and Alex Ovechkin (Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

A Russian magazine recently unveiled it's list of the top Russian NHLers. Here's a look at the list along with their notable NHL accomplishments.

Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Evgeni Malkin did not manage to make the cut when the NHL unveiled its Top 100 players of all-time – an omission that essentially compromises the entire list – but he can take solace in not only being on another list, but being at the top of it. Russian magazine Sport-Express recently named the top 50 Russian NHL players of all-time and Malkin, who recently picked up his third Stanley Cup, is No. 1.

The magazine did its ratings based on the following criteria: level of play at the peak of the NHL career, consistency, titles and longevity. Careers in Russia and in international play were not considered.

So that’s what makes this list unique. Malkin is at the top of it, just ahead of Sergei Fedorov, only because of what he has done in the best league in the world. If the entirety of careers were taken into account, Slava Fetisov would be vying for No. 1 instead of being at 30. Soviet legends Valeri Kharlamov, Vsevolod Bobrov and Vladislav Tretiak would join Fetisov at the top of the list, with Boris Mikhailov and Alexander (Rags) Ragulin close behind.

But it is an interesting group. Here it is, in order:

1. Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh): Tied with Fedorov and Igor Larionov for most Stanley Cups (three) and could be No. 2 on all-time Russian scoring list by the time he retires.

2. Sergei Fedorov (Detroit, Anaheim, Columbus, Washington): Highest-scoring Russian player of all-time and joins Bobby Clarke as the only players in NHL history to win both the Hart and Selke trophies during the careers. Fedorov is the only player to do it in the same year.

3. Alex Ovechkin (Washington): Easily the greatest Russian NHL goalscorer of all-time, but has yet to get his team out of the second round of the playoffs. Father Time is chasing both him and the Capitals.

4. Pavel Bure (Vancouver, Florida, NY Rangers): Before Ovechkin came along, The Russian Rocket was the most dynamic Russian player ever. Came agonizingly close to winning the Cup with Vancouver, but never did.

5. Pavel Datsyuk (Detroit, Arizona sort of): A magician with the puck, Datsyuk dazzled with his abilities and established himself as one of the greatest two-way players of all-time.

6. Sergei Zubov (NY Rangers, Pittsburgh, Dallas): Seems a little high on the list, but that might be because he was one of the more under-appreciated players when he played. One of the game’s great all-time power play quarterbacks.

7. Nikolai Khabibulin (Winnipeg/Phoenix, Tampa Bay, Chicago, Edmonton): Has played more games (799) than any other Russian goalie and won the Stanley Cup with the Lightning in 2003-04.

8. Alexander Mogilny (Buffalo, Vancouver, New Jersey, Toronto): Helped blaze a trail for other Russian players and posted the fifth-highest single-season goal total with 76 in 1992-93. Should be in the Hall of Fame and probably will be someday.

9. Sergei Gonchar (Washington, Pittsburgh, Ottawa, Dallas, Montreal): No Russian defenseman has played more games or scored more goals or points than Gonchar, who won the Cup with the Penguins in 2009.

10. Sergei Bobrovsky (Philadelphia, Columbus): Two-time Vezina Trophy winner has the highest career save percentage among Russians who have played at least 50 NHL games. If he wins a Cup or two along the way, he’ll move up the list.

11. Ilya Kovalchuk (Atlanta, New Jersey): Exactly a point per game playing the first half of his career during the Dead Puck Era. Could be back in the NHL after next season.

12. Alexei Kovalev (NY Rangers, Pittsburgh, Montreal, Ottawa, Florida): No Russian player has played as many NHL games as Kovalev, who was the first Russian player drafted in the first round. He was loved by fans pretty well everywhere he played.

13. Alexei Zhamnov (Winnipeg, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston): Weird stat for Zhamnov: He scored 30 goals only once during his career and it was in 1994-95, when a lockout limited the season to just 48 games.

14. Alexei Yashin (Ottawa, NY Islanders): Yashin’s NHL career ended in 2007, but the Islanders didn’t finish paying his buyout until eight years later. A mercurial talent, Yashin was sublime with the puck.

15. Andrei Markov (Montreal): Yet to find NHL work for next season, Markov has been a mainstay on the Canadiens defense corps and power play for 16 seasons.

16. Igor Larionov (Vancouver, San Jose, Detroit, Florida, New Jersey): The Professor was a three-time Cup winner with the Red Wings and was an all-time great two-way talent. Probably a little lower than he should be.

17. Valeri Kamensky (Quebec/Colorado, NY Rangers, Dallas, New Jersey): Scored 38 goals for the Avalanche and added 10 more, plus 12 assists, in the playoffs to help Colorado to its first Stanley Cup in 1995-96.

18. Slava Kozlov (Detroit, Buffalo, Atlanta): A two-time Cup winner with the Red Wings, Kozlov twice scored 30 goals in the NHL.

19. Evgeny Nabokov (San Jose, NY Islanders, Tampa Bay): The 2001 Calder Trophy winner has won more games than any other Russian goalie (353) and has the best goals-against average (2.44) among those who played at least 50 NHL games.

20. Sergei Makarov (Calgary, San Jose, Dallas): The NHL changed its Calder Trophy eligibility rules when Makarov won the award at the age of 31 in 1990. His best days were already behind him when he entered the NHL.

21. Alexei Zhitnik (Los Angeles, Buffalo, NY Islanders, Atlanta): Born in Ukraine, Zhitnik represented the Soviet Union and Russia during his career. Scored 30 points in eight of his first 10 NHL seasons and was tough.

The Russian Five in 1997 after winning the Stanley Cup. Back row: Vladimir Konstantinov, Sergei Fedorov, and Slava Fetisov. Front row: Slava Kozlov and Igor Larionov

22. Vladimir Konstantinov (Detroit): Might have been a Hall of Famer had his career not ended in a limousine crash after the Red Wings won the Cup in 1997. Tough, tough, tough.

23. Vladimir Malakhov (NY Islanders, Montreal, New Jersey, NY Rangers, Philadelphia): He had a long career with some good seasons, but he confounded coaches and fans alike with what looked like a laissez-faire approach to the game.

24. Darius Kasparaitis (NY Islanders, Pittsburgh, Colorado, NY Rangers): A Lithuania-born player who punched his own goalie in the head after a World Junior game, Kasparaitis got more mileage out of hard work and grittiness than probably any other Russian player.

25. Alex Semin (Washington, Carolina, Montreal): Another player with an enormous amount of talent and a confounding work ethic, Semin enjoyed his best years playing with Ovechkin on the Capitals.

26. Viktor Kozlov (San Jose, Florida, NY Islanders, Washington): Broke the 20-goal barrier only twice, but scored 50-plus points three times. Never came close to that level of production in the playoffs, though.

27. Sergei Samsonov (Boston, Edmonton, Montreal, Carolina, Chicago, Florida): Won the Calder Trophy in 1997-98 over teammate and first overall pick Joe Thornton and had some good seasons with the Bruins, registering 20-plus goals four times.

28. Vladimir Tarasenko (St. Louis): Look for him to move up this list as his career progresses. He’s really starting to pile up the goal totals.

29. Dmitri Yushkevich (Philadelphia, Toronto, Florida, Los Angeles): A tough, stay-at-home defenseman, Yushkevich loved nothing more than going head-to-head against the best players in the game.

30. Slava Fetisov (New Jersey, Detroit): Had he not come to the NHL when he was 32, he would have been one of the all-time greats in the league. As it is, he’s arguably the best player Russia has ever produced.

31. German Titov (Calgary, Pittsburgh, Edmonton, Anaheim): Started his career with three 20-goal seasons in his first four years, then tailed off badly.

32. Ilya Bryzgalov (Anaheim, Phoenix, Philadelphia, Edmonton, Minnesota): Amid all the crazy things he has said, it’s easy to forget that Bryzgalov was one of the league’s premier goaltenders at one time.

33. Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay): Another player who will rocket up this list if he keeps up what he’s doing right now. Might be the NHL’s most underrated player.

34. Alexei Gusarov (Quebec/Colorado, NY Rangers, St. Louis): One of the core players who went from the bad old days in Quebec to a Stanley Cup in Colorado, Gusarov is a member of the Triple Gold Club, having won the Stanley Cup, an Olympic gold medal and a World Championship.

35. Maxim Afinogenov (Buffalo, Atlanta): Compared to Bure early in his career, Afinogenov defined himself with his speed and skill, but too rarely put all his tools together consistently.

36. Alexander Karpovtsev (NY Rangers, Toronto, Chicago, NY Islanders, Florida): Had a superior mind for the game and the nuances of playing good defense. Was killed in the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash in 2011.

37. Slava Voynov (Los Angeles): His legal issues forced him out of the NHL at the age of 25 and nobody knows whether he’ll ever find his way back again. Was a defensive stalwart on two Stanley Cup winners.

38. Artemi Panarin (Chicago): He lands on the list despite having played just two NHL seasons, but what NHL seasons they were. The Columbus Blue Jackets are hoping he’ll help lead them to a Stanley Cup.

39. Oleg Tverdovsky (Anaheim, Winnipeg/Phoenix, New Jersey, Carolina, Los Angeles): A second overall pick by the Ducks in 1994, Tverdovsky went on to play more than 700 games in the NHL. He won Cups with the Devils in 2003 and the Hurricanes three years later.

40. Andrei Kovalenko (Quebec/Colorado, Montreal, Edmonton, Philadelphia, Carolina, Boston): ‘The Tank’ was denied a Stanley Cup when he was moved to Montreal by Colorado in 1995 as part of the Patrick Roy blockbuster trade.

41. Alexander Frolov (Los Angeles, NY Rangers): Still playing in the KHL at the age of 35, Frolov left the NHL in 2011 after having a number of productive seasons with the Kings.

42. Semyon Varlamov (Washington, Colorado): Had a miserable season with the woeful Avalanche in 2016-17, but prior to that had been the Avs backbone.

43. Sergei Brylin (New Jersey): A long-time favorite of former GM Lou Lamoriello and fellow Devils executive David Conte, Brylin was an industrious center who could fill any role. He was a big part of the Devils’ three Cups.

44. Igor Korolev (St. Louis, Winnipeg/Phoenix, Toronto, Chicago): A hard-working two-way center, Korolev became a Canadian citizen late in his career. He was also killed in the Yaroslavl plane crash in 2011.

45. Sergei Nemchinov (NY Rangers, Vancouver, NY Islanders, New Jersey): A Stanley Cup winner with both the Rangers and the Devils, Nemchinov scored 20-plus goals each of his first three seasons.

46. Igor Kravchuk (Chicago, Edmonton, St. Louis, Ottawa, Calgary, Florida): Remember the lone defenseman who was back for the Soviets on the 3-on-1 on Mario Lemieux’s winning goal in the 1987 Canada Cup? Yup. It was Igor Kravchuk.

47. Evgeny Kuznetsov (Washington): Another player who will likely be much higher on this list if it is done 10 years from now.

48. Alexander Radulov (Nashville, Montreal): It’s too bad he spent most of the time until last season being petulant and chasing the money in the KHL. But he still has some time to do something special with the Dallas Stars.

49. Alexander Khavanov (St. Louis, Toronto): Drafted at the age of 27, six years after playing a season in the East Coast League, Khavanov spent four productive seasons with the Blues.

50. Dmitri Mironov (Toronto, Pittsburgh, Anaheim, Detroit, Washington): Another older draft pick, Mironov managed to win his only Cup after being dealt to the Red Wings at the 1998 trade deadline.

Pirates rookie Moroff beats Brewers in extras

By Alan Saunders, The Associated Press

http://www.espn.com/mlb/

July 19, 2017

Pittsburgh Pirates' Max Moroff drives in the winning run with a single off Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Jared Hughes during the 10th inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, July 19, 2017. The Pirates won 3-2. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

PITTSBURGH -- Max Moroff was an unlikely candidate to come through in extra innings for the Pittsburgh Pirates. None of his six career hits had been walk-offs, and he was hitting just .115 in 52 at-bats

The 24-year-old rookie picked the right time for knock No. 7, lofting an RBI single to center in the 10th inning to pull the Pirates closer to the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers with a 3-2 victory Wednesday night.

Moroff entered the game as a pinch runner in the ninth and scored the tying run, then turned around and drove in the winner on his first at-bat in the 10th.

"I was ready to hit from pitch one," he said. "It ended up going to 2-1 and I ended up getting jammed, but it ended up working."

As Moroff's hit bounced into shallow center field and Josh Harrison crossed the plate, Moroff raised his right arm high and ran to first base. Teammates piled around him in the infield, and Gregory Polanco hoisted the rookie into the air.

It's a familiar scene for the Pirates, who have won three games in the ninth or later since the All-Star break and have won 10 of 12 overall to pull to four games behind the first-place Brewers.

"It's obviously exciting when you get them," Harrison said. "The past couple have been very special. It's been guys' first ones. It's always exciting when you can lead the team out there walking it off."

Harrison had reached on a double against former Pirates reliever Jared Hughes (3-2), who got his first loss since April 18.

Pittsburgh blew a lead in the eighth before tying it in the ninth against closer Corey Knebel. Francisco Cervelli singled home Moroff, who was running for David Freese. The rally began with Freese's walk and Polanco's single. It was the fifth blown save this year for Knebel.

"If anything, maybe (Knebel's) breaking ball was a little bit off tonight," Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell said. "He had a good fastball, for sure. Polanco hit a ground ball and he walked Freese on a breaking ball. Cervelli gets jammed a little bit, but it falls in. ... It's just kind of one of those innings."

Domingo Santana hit a solo homer off Juan Nicasio in the eighth to give the Brewers a 2-1 lead. Santana also doubled and scored in the first and finished 3 for 4.

Tony Watson (5-2) pitched a scoreless 10th for the win.

Pirates starter Gerrit Cole went seven innings and struck out a season-high 10. It was the first time a Pirates pitcher has struck out 10 this season and the most for Cole since May 22, 2015. Six of his strikeouts were looking.

Milwaukee starter Zach Davies gave up an unearned run and eight hits over seven innings. He struck out four. Davies, who has 11 wins, was hoping to be the stopper for the Brewers, who have lost four straight.

He's not panicking yet.

"We're still ahead," Davies said. "I think that's what guys tend to forget is we built a lead for a reason. We know something like this can happen, but at the end of the day, we're still ahead."

The Pirates nearly scored in the second, but Davies made a diving stop on a suicide-squeeze attempt by Cole and recovered in time to throw out Cervelli at home. That was the last time the Pirates had a runner in scoring position until the ninth.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Brewers: 2B Eric Sogard (left ankle strain) made his first rehab appearance with Class A Wisconsin. He went 0 for 3 with a strikeout. Sogard has been on the disabled list since July 6.

Pirates: 1B Josh Bell did not start but is expected to be fine after getting into a collision at first base with Eric Thames on Tuesday. He went 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

UP NEXT

Brewers: Jimmy Nelson (8-4, 3.27 ERA) will pitch in the series finale. Nelson has a team-leading 11 quality starts.

Pirates: Jameson Taillon (5-3, 3.06 ERA) will start. He has the team's best ERA among starters, but the Pirates are just 6-6 when he pitches.

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More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

Pirates rally past Brewers 4-3 in Marte's return

By Will Graves, The Associated Press

http://www.espn.com/mlb/

July 18, 2017

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielders Andrew McCutchen, left, Starling Marte (6) and Gregory Polanco (25) run off the field after the team's 4-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers in a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Tuesday, July 18, 2017. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

PITTSBURGH -- Starling Marte could feel the jitters as he darted out of the dugout and onto the field in a major league game for the first time in three months. The Pittsburgh Pirates left fielder dreaded what may await following an 80-game performance-enhancing suspension that staggered his team in mid-April leading to a funk from which it is now just emerging.

Then the fans rose to their feet and greeted Marte with an ovation. He exhaled. And the player the Pirates are hoping can help them elbow their way back into the crowded NL Central checked all the boxes. He made a diving grab of a sinking liner to end the first inning. He slapped a single through the middle in the fourth and drew a four-pitch walk in the sixth that served as the kindling of a two-out rally that helped the Pirates edge the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 on Tuesday night.

"Today's a new era, a new journey," said Marte, who finished 1 for 3 in his first game since April 17. "It feels great. I felt good and I'm just excited to continue battling out there and helping get victories for our team."

Pittsburgh's late surge began in the bottom of the sixth when Francisco Cervelli led off with a home run. Marte walked with two outs and scored on Josh Harrison's blast to the seats in right field that tied the game. David Freese put the Pirates ahead later in the inning with an RBI single off reliever Oliver Drake(3-3) as Pittsburgh won its third straight to pull within five games of the first-place Brewers.

Ivan Nova (10-6) survived six innings to get the win. Felipe Rivero worked out of a two-on, one-out jam in the ninth for his eighth save as the Pirates drew within two games of .500 (46-48) for the first time since May.

Travis Shaw went 3 for 4, including a three-run homer off Nova in the third but was ejected along with manager Craig Counsell in the eighth for arguing with home plate umpire Mike Muchlinski. Eric Thames, Hernan Perez and Manny Pina all had two hits each but Milwaukee left eight runners on while losing its third straight for the first time since early June.

Brewers starter Junior Guerra faced the minimum over his first five innings in his return from a trip to the disabled list with a right shin contusion.

It all unraveled in the sixth. Guerra exited after Harrison put a ball over the 21-foot high Clemente Wall to tie the game.

"It's the best we've seen him this year," Counsell said of Guerra. "It's really something positive to build on. He made some mistakes in the sixth with his fastball and he got behind."

Marte spent most of his suspension at Pittsburgh's minor league complex in Florida, watching the Pirates fight to stay on the fringe of the wide-open Central. If there's any anger at what he called a "careless" mistake, it didn't show.

The two-time Gold Glover was greeted by applause when he jogged out to his post before the first pitch. The cheers grew louder when he made a sliding grab on a sinking liner by Milwaukee's Ryan Braun -- who still gets booed at PNC Park four years removed from his own PED suspension -- to end the inning.

"That's the way I play," Marte said. "It feels good to be back. I'm healthy, I'm focused. Starting off with a play like that, reminds not only the people but especially me this is where I belong."

Still, for the first five innings it looked like Milwaukee was going to spoil the "welcome back" party. The Brewers pounded Nova over six innings but only managed three runs, all coming on a towering shot to the concourse in right-center field by Shaw with one out in the third, the third baseman's fifth extra-base hit in his last 11 at-bats against Nova and 21st homer of the season.

It could have been worse for the Pirates, but a single by Thames clipped teammate Domingo Santana between first and second and Perez was caught stealing later in the inning. It bought Nova time to calm down and Pittsburgh time to figure out Guerra. When they did, they took off.

"The first two times through, they made some pitches," Harrison said. "I think that third time through, we were able to work him. Marte worked a walk and we took advantage."

TRAINER'S ROOM

Brewers: C Stephen Vogt is out for at least a month with a sprained left knee following a collision at home plate on Monday night. Counsell says Vogt will miss "significant time" after getting inadvertently bowled over by Pittsburgh pitcher Chad Kuhl on a play at the plate. The team recalled Jett Bandy from Triple-A Colorado Springs to fill in.

UP NEXT

Brewers: Zach Davies (11-4, 5.08 ERA) goes for his fifth straight win on Wednesday. The Brewers have scored 8.75 runs per game during Davies' current streak.

Pirates: Gerrit Cole (7-7, 4.35 ERA) will make his third start this season against Milwaukee.

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More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball