Quinn Priester delivered a quality start the Milwaukee Brewers needed on Friday night, allowing two runs over seven innings in a 5-2 victory over the host Pittsburgh Pirates.
Priester (12-2) struck out six, walked one and allowed six hits on 96 pitches to help the Brewers (87-55) avoid using their ailing bullpen too much on a day they lost another reliever to injury.
Before the game, Milwaukee placed setup man Nick Mears on the 15-day injured list due to lower back tightness. Mears is the fifth key reliever the Brewers have on the IL including closer Trevor Megill.
Priester, who was drafted by the Pirates (64-78), recorded his 11th consecutive winning decision and helped Milwaukee snap Pittsburgh’s three-game winning streak. The Brewers have won 17 consecutive games in which Priester has pitched.
Jared Koenig pitched a perfect eighth, striking out two and Abner Uribe, in the closer role, worked a perfect ninth to record his fifth save of the season.
Jake Bauers stole a base and had two hits including a two-run, go-ahead single in the top of the sixth off Pirates reliever Carmen Mlodzinski (3-8), which scored William Contreras and Sal Frelick to give the Brewers a 3-2 lead. Mlodzinski entered in relief of starter Johan Oviedo, who gave up no earned runs and only one hit over five innings. Oviedo struck out four and walked three.
Contreras had two hits and scored twice, and Brice Turang also had two hits including an RBI single in the eighth.
Sloppy defense by the Pirates, who committed two of their three errors in the ninth, led to another Milwaukee run when Contreras scored after an errant throw to first by Nick Gonzales.
Oneil Cruz and Spencer Horwitz each had two hits to lead the Pirates at the plate.
Gonzales led off the bottom of the second with a ground rule double off Priester and Cruz drove him in with a single to right to tie the game at 1. Pittsburgh took its only lead, 2-1, in the bottom of the third on an RBI double by Tommy Pham, which scored Bryan Reynolds.
