Polanco, Stewart seal Pirates’ sweep over Brewers, Braves end Dodgers’ win streak
>> PITTSBURGH: Gregory Polanco homered, Chris Stewart added three hits and the Pittsburgh 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.
Polanco hit a solo shot off Jimmy Nelson (8-5) in the fourth inning, his ninth homer. Stewart scored the goahead run in the fifth on a single by Josh Harrison.
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.
In Los Angeles, Mike Foltynewicz pitched into the seventh inning and Atlanta stopped Los Angeles’ 11-game winning streak 6-3.
The Dodgers had won 31 of their last 35 but could not overcome another shaky start by Brandon McCarthy (6-4), who was bothered by a blister and could be headed to the disabled list.
Kurt Suzuki hit a two-run homer for the Braves, who jumped out to a 6-1 lead after four innings against McCarthy. Foltynewicz (8-5) allowed three runs and six hits in 6 1/3 innings, striking out five.
Rex Brothers, Arodys Vizcaino and Jim Johnson held the Dodgers scoreless over the last 2 2/3 innings. Johnson closed for his 22nd save, helped by a splendid defensive play from second baseman Johan Camargo.
Freddie Freeman singled in two runs for Atlanta. Yasmani Grandal hit a two-run homer for Los Angeles.
The Dodgers had won 18 of their last 19 at home.
In Seattle, Luis Severino pitched out of trouble to throw seven shutout innings, and Brett Gardner hit a solo home run off Felix Hernandez in New York’s 4-1 victory over Seattle.
Severino (6-4) struck out six and allowed eight hits. Gardner connected against Hernandez (5-4) in the sixth. Other than that, Hernandez was as good as he’s been in 2017, striking out a season-high nine and pitching at least seven innings for the second time.
Aaron Judge added a brokenbat RBI single in the eighth, just his fourth hit in 29 at-bats since the AllStar break. The Yankees added a pair of runs in the ninth with two outs on second baseman Robinson Cano’s throwing error.
Three of New York’s four runs were unearned.
In San Francisco, Jhoulys Chacin outpitched Madison Bumgarner, and Cory Spangenberg hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the seventh inning that chased Bumgarner from his first home start in more than three months as San Diego defeated San Francisco 5-2.