Game result and context
Brewers 5-4 Pirates: Division-clinched Milwaukee rallies late as Pittsburgh's wild-card hopes thin
Milwaukee took the lead for good with two runs in the seventh and held on for a 5-4 win over Pittsburgh in Game 2 of a three-game series. The Brewers, who have clinched their division, improved to 95-57. The Pirates fell to 75-77, with a wild-card elimination number of 2.
Final result
The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-4 on September 16, 2026, at PNC Park before a crowd of 11,393. The game went nine innings.
Milwaukee improved to 95-57. Pittsburgh dropped to 75-77.
How the game changed
The decisive swing came in the top of the seventh. Milwaukee trailed by a run entering the inning, then scored twice to go back in front. Neither team scored again over the final two innings.
Before that, the Brewers struck first with two runs in the second. Oneil Cruz got Pittsburgh on the board with a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth. Milwaukee added a run in the top of the fifth, but Brandon Lowe answered in the bottom half with a homer that drove in two and tied the game. Rafael Flores Jr. then gave the Pirates their only lead with a solo shot in the sixth.
Pittsburgh hit three home runs to Milwaukee's none and still came up short.
Key performances
Brandon Lowe went 2 for 3 with a run, a home run and 2 RBI for Pittsburgh. Oneil Cruz was 2 for 4 with a homer, a run and an RBI. Rafael Flores Jr. went 1 for 4, and his one hit was a home run.
Pirates starter Jared Jones struck out 9 over 5.0 innings and allowed 3 earned runs. Milwaukee's Logan Henderson matched him in length, working 5.0 innings with 8 strikeouts and 3 earned runs.
Christian Yelich drove in 2 runs for the Brewers, going 1 for 5.
Season and playoff context
Milwaukee sits first in its division at 95-57 and has already clinched it.
Pittsburgh is third in the division at 75-77, 20.0 games back, and has been eliminated from the division race. The Pirates rank sixth in the wild-card standings, 8.0 games back, and their wild-card elimination number is 2.
Series context
This was Game 2 of a three-game regular-season series between the Brewers and the Pirates at PNC Park.