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Pirates end Brewers streak

Photo

Photo by AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar

Pittsburgh Pirates' Delwyn Young, right, rounds third to greetings from coach Tony Beasley (29) after hitting a three-run, first-inning home run off Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Mike Burns in a baseball game in Pittsburgh on Monday, July 20, 2009.

PITTSBURGH — Delwyn Young and Garrett Jones homered to help the Pittsburgh Pirates end a 17-game skid against the Milwaukee Brewers with an 8-5 victory Monday night.

Andrew McCutchen had three hits and scored two runs for Pittsburgh, which snapped the major’s longest losing streak against a single opponent in 39 years. The Baltimore Orioles won 23 straight against the Kansas City Royals from 1969-70.

Felipe Lopez went 4-for-4 in his Milwaukee debut and Ryan Braun hit a two-run homer in the Brewers’ three-run ninth. Lopez was acquired from the Diamondbacks on Sunday.

Milwaukee committed three errors in their third loss in four games.

Both benched and bullpens cleared when Chris Smith hit Pirates reliever Jeff Karstens with a pitch in the eighth. It was Karstens’ first appearance against Milwaukee since he hit Braun on April 27 after he homered in his previous at-bat, prompting the slugger to say after the game “We play them about 17 more times. Tell Mr. Selig, we’ll see what happens.”

Karstens glared at Smith after being hit in the left upper arm and was restrained by a jawing catcher Jason Kendall. After the teams came on the field, Kendall needed to be held back as he and Pirates pitching coach Joe Kerrigan yelled at each other.

Pittsburgh got off to a fast start after the game was delayed 2 hours and 10 minutes due to rain. Adam LaRoche hit an RBI single before Young connected for a three-run shot to make it 4-1.

Jones hit a solo shot in the sixth for his eighth of the season in only his 15th game and 59th at-bat. He has homered in five of his past seven games and has a hit in 11 of his past 12 contests.

Mike Burns (2-3) lasted just three innings for Milwaukee, allowing six runs, four earned, and six hits in his fifth start of the season. He has given up 16 runs over 12 2-3 innings in three starts this month.

Ross Ohlendorf (8-7) wasn’t sharp but won for the third time in his past 11 starts. He allowed seven hits and walked two, but limited the Brewers to two runs in five innings.

Karstens pitched three innings to extend the Pittsburgh bullpen’s scoreless streak to

19 2-3 innings. Jesse Chavez surrendered Craig Counsell’s RBI double and Braun’s 17th homer in the ninth.

Notes

-- Lopez wasn’t in the original starting lineup because he wasn’t expected to arrive at the park until 6 p.m. As the rain delay progressed, Brewers manager Ken Macha inserted him into the leadoff spot.

-- The Brewers outscored the Pirates, 111-49, during the winning streak.