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MILWAUKEE -- Andrew McCutchen, Jody Mercer and Josh Bell each drove in two runs and the Pittsburgh Pirates preserved their faint playoff hopes alive with a 6-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night.The Pirates won their fifth straight at Miller Park, and fifth of six overall to improve to .500 (75-75) for the first time since they were 69-69 on Sept. 8. Pittsburgh began the day five games behind San Francisco for the second NL wild card spot and St. Louis Cardinals and Miami Marlins in between the Pirates and Giants.McCutchens two-run double in the first staked rookie left-hander Steven Brault to an early lead. Bells two-run single in the fifth chased starter Matt Garza (5-8). Mercer produced run-scoring singles in the fourth and sixth.Brault was making his seventh career start and had already lost twice to the Brewers. He allowed Domingo Santanas run-scoring double in the third and Martin Maldonados home run in the fourth, and then ran into trouble in the fifth.Jonathan Villar opened the inning with a walk and stole second before advancing to third on Orlando Arcias single to center. Jared Hughes (1-1) took over for Brault and gave up Chris Carter run-scoring double-play grounder and struck out Domingo Santana to end the inning.Tony Watson pitched the ninth for his 14th save in 17 chances.Adam Frazier went 3 for 4 and scored twice for the Pirates.Garza allowed five runs and eight hits over four innings. He walked two and struck out two while slipping to 1/3 in four starts against the Pirates this seasonThe Brewers had won 11 of 17 since the Pirates four-game sweep in Milwaukee at the end of August, with home and away series victories over the NL Central Champion Chicago Cubs.UNDER REVIEWBrewers manager Craig Counsell challenged the out call on a force play at second in the sixth. After a 1:38 review, the call was upheld.FEELING RIGHT AT HOMEMcCutchens two-run double in the first extended his hitting streak to eight games and gave him 48 RBI in 62 career games at Miller Park.GARZA RUNSOpponents have roughed up Garza for 26 runs (16 earned) in his last seven starts. He is 1-4 with a 4.00 ERA over that stretch.NEW BREWERS DADSLF Ryan Braun and C Manny Pina missed the game in order to be with their wives and the newest member of their respective family. Brauns wife, Larisa, gave birth to a son, Greyson Joseph. Pinas wife, Leny, gave birth to a daughter, Jimena. However, Pina pinch hit in the ninth and flied out to end the game. Both players were expected back before the weekend.TRAINERS ROOMPirates: C Chris Stewart underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee and is expected to be out six-to-eight weeks. Dr. James Andrews operated on the 34-year-old catcher in Gulf Shores, Florida. ... LF Starling Marte missed his 15th consecutive game with low back discomfort.Brewers: The Brewers selected the contract of C/1B Josmil Pinto from Triple-A Colorado Springs.UP NEXTPirates: RHP Chad Kuhl (4-3, 3.97 ERA) makes his 12th major-league start. The 24-year-old right-hander is 0-0 with a 2.84 ERA in one career outing against the Brewers.Brewers: RHP Jimmy Nelson (8-14, 4.42) makes his 10th career start against the Pirates. He is 5-2 with a 3.16 ERA in his previous nine starts, including 1-0 with a 4.80 ERA ibn three starts this season. Keyshawn Johnson Jersey . "Trying to breathe," he said with a grin. Bernier stopped 42 of 43 shots on Monday night, including all 22 in a hectic middle frame, his heroic performance propelling the Leafs toward an undue point in their final game before the Christmas break. Mark Gastineau Youth Jersey . General manager Jarmo Kekalainen told Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch on Friday that he wants to see Gaboriks contributions go beyond the scoresheet before considering a long-term deal for the soon-to-be unrestricted free agent. http://www.authenticnyjetspro.com/Wayne-chrebet-jets-jersey/ . That left plenty of energy for pitching books and swatting away free agency questions. Anthony had 24 points and nine rebounds, and the Knicks avenged an embarrassing home loss with a rout of their own, beating the Boston Celtics 114-88 on Wednesday night for their third straight victory. LaDainian Tomlinson Jets Jersey . The return match will take place next Wednesday. Udinese leads Fiorentina 2-1 in the other semifinal. Napoli staged a second-half comeback from two goals down after Gervinhos opener and a stunning strike from Kevin Strootman. Joe Klecko Jersey . The Nashville Predators were glad their captain was still on their side. Weber had a goal and two assists, and Roman Josi scored the shootout winner to lift the Predators to a 4-3 win over the Flyers on Thursday night. ATLANTA -- The slumping Atlanta Hawks have benched guard Kyle Korver.Coach Mike Budenholzer?announced before Monday nights game against the?Oklahoma City Thunder?that Thabo Sefolosha will take Korvers place in the starting lineup. The move was not unexpected, with the Hawks having lost nine of 10 games, including the past six in a row, to fall under .500 at 10-11 on the season.Atlanta hasnt even been competitive in severral of its losses, dropping the past two to the?Detroit Pistons and Toronto Raptors?by an average of 40 points.ddddddddddddKorver is averaging just 8.5 points per game and has struggled to get open looks at the basket. He is averaging only seven shots a game, by far the fewest of any starter. ' ' '