Omar Narvaez's homer enough for Brewers to split set with Pirates

PITTSBURGH — Omar Narvaez hit a two-run home run Sunday as the visiting Milwaukee Brewers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-0 to earn a split of the teams' four-game series.

Brandon Woodruff (7-3) combined with three relievers on a nine-hit shutout for the Brewers, who are 6-2 in their past eight games.

The teams combined for 47 runs through the first three games of the series before Sunday's low-scoring affair.

Daniel Vogelbach was 3-for-4 for the Pirates, who are 3-2 in their past five games.

It was Woodruff's second outing after a long IL stint because of a high ankle sprain and finger numbness. He pitched six strong innings, allowing no runs and six hits, with eight strikeouts and no walks.

Brad Boxberger pitched the seventh, Devin Williams the eighth and Josh Hader the ninth to preserve the shutout. Hader picked up his 25th save in his first appearance in the series.

No Pittsburgh runner made it past second base until the bottom of the ninth.

Pittsburgh starter Zach Thompson (3-6), fresh off sitting out the minimum on the 15-day IL because of forearm nerve inflammation, gave up two runs and four hits in 4 2/3 innings, with two strikeouts and a walk.

Thompson seemed sharp coming off the injury layoff through four innings, when the Brewers had just three baserunners on two singles and an error.

In the fifth, Thompson issued a leadoff walk to Kolten Wong on four pitches. After Luis Urias flied out to left, Narvaez hit his third homer, an estimated 427-footer that cleared the stands in right for a 2-0 Milwaukee lead.

After Jace Peterson singled to right, Jonathan Davis scorched a grounder that seemed to be heading down the line in left, but third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes made a sharp play to snag the ball and get Peterson at second. That chased Thompson for Duane Underwood Jr., who got out of the inning.