The Pittsburgh Pirates go into the All-Star break at their best mark in a decade, and they got there with the loudest inning they have played all year. Pittsburgh scored 10 runs in the fourth on the way to a 14-5 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday, completing a three-game sweep.
The fourth turned a 4-1 game into a laugher. Milwaukee starter Robert Gasser was charged with seven runs before recording an out in the inning, and the relief behind him did not stop the bleeding. Jared Triolo went 3-for-5 with two RBIs, Ryan O’Hearn reached base three times and drove in two, and Nick Gonzales added two more RBIs from the bottom of the order.
Henry Davis set the tone before the outburst, homering in the second inning and finishing with three RBIs, and Marcell Ozuna added a home run of his own. That was more than enough for Paul Skenes, who gave up two runs on three hits over 5 1/3 innings with seven strikeouts, including four of his final five batters. The win was Skenes’ second in a row after a nine-start winless stretch that had nothing to do with how he was throwing, and it evened his record at 8-8.
Milwaukee’s day was a short one offensively. Brice Turang homered and drove in two, and Jackson Chourio had two hits, but the Brewers never threatened after the fourth. The finale capped a lost weekend at PNC Park.
The standings still favor Milwaukee, which leads the NL Central at 59-37 even after the sweep. But Pittsburgh, now 50-47, is three games over .500 at the break for the first time since 2016 and has won three straight. For a franchise that has spent recent Julys planning for next year, a winning first half is the story.
For fantasy purposes, Skenes needs no further endorsement, but managers who bought low during his winless run are being rewarded now. Davis has quietly become a usable catcher with pop and should be rostered in deeper leagues. Triolo and O’Hearn are streaming-worthy against soft matchups given their spots in a lineup that is scoring again. On the Milwaukee side, Turang’s power surge is real enough to hold, while Gasser is a sit until he strings together clean starts.
