Brewers Extend NL Central Lead To 6.5 With 4-1 Win Over Pirates

The Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-1, powered by two-run home runs from Jake Bauers and Jackson Chourio, and a strong pitching performance by Brandon Woodruff, who threw six scoreless innings with eight strikeouts and no walks. Bauers hit a go-ahead home run in the fourth inning, breaking a scoreless tie, while Chourio added his 19th homer in the eighth to extend the Brewers' lead. Woodruff improved his record to 6-2 after allowing only two hits, bouncing back from two previous starts where he gave up five earned runs each. The Brewers' bullpen, including Aaron Ashby, who earned his third save, helped maintain the lead, while the Pirates avoided being shut out thanks to an RBI groundout by Oneil Cruz. Milwaukee extended their National League Central division lead to 6 1/2 games over the Chicago Cubs, with 19 games remaining in the season. Additionally, William Contreras reached a milestone by becoming the fifth player in Brewers history to catch 1,000 innings in back-to-back seasons, and Jake Bauers contributed with two hits, two RBIs, a run scored, and a stolen base in the game.