​PITTSBURGH (AP) — Esmerlyn Valdez powered his third homer of the day, helping the Pittsburgh Pirates edge the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers 3-2 on Saturday to complete a doubleheader sweep. The Pirates had won the opener 7-6, with Valdez belting two homers in that game as well—one of them a go-ahead grand slam in the seventh inning—and driving in six runs in the nightcap and totaling eight RBIs across the two games. Through 27 career games, Valdez has already tallied 10 home runs and 26 RBIs, underscoring his rapid ascent for a breakout rookie season.
Valdez’s two-run homer in the fourth inning of the nightcap put Pittsburgh on the board first. The Brewers answered in the fifth when Brice Turang lined a two-run double to even the score, setting the stage for a tight finish. Pittsburgh regained the lead in the sixth when Bryan Reynolds delivered an RBI single off rookie left-hander Shane Drohan, giving the Pirates the go-ahead run. Drohan (4-3) pitched 6 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on five hits while striking out six and issuing no walks.
Yohan Ramirez (6-2) worked a clean sixth inning for the Pirates, and Mason Montgomery recorded a one-run cushion in the ninth for his first save of the season and the second of his major league career. The Pirates also benefited from solid starting pitching in the opener, where Bubba Chandler turned in 4 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on five hits with six strikeouts and three walks.
The Brewers missed an opportunity to reach 60 wins for the season, a milestone they have never attained before the All-Star break. The doubleheader was necessitated after Friday night’s game was washed out by rain, leaving this weekend’s series to be played as a split doubleheader.
The three-game series wraps up on Sunday with an All-Star matchup, featuring Brewers right-hander Jacob Misiorowski (10-4, 1.62 ERA) facing Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes (7-8, 3.58). Misiorowski is slated to start for Milwaukee, while Skenes is set to take the mound for Pittsburgh as both teams look to close out the set with a win.