MILWAUKEE -- In the span of a few hours on Tuesday, the Brewers lost cleanup hitter Aramis Ramirez to the disabled list, lost leadoff man Carlos Gomez to a stiff lower back and removed Ryan Braun from a two-run game in the seventh inning. Manager Ron Roenicke is using a lot of ink on his lineup cards these days.But once again, Roenicke's final mark went in the win column. Marco Estrada made it through six innings, Jonathan Lucroy and Rickie Weeks drove in runs, and the Brewers beat the Pirates, 5-2, at Miller Park to remain firmly in control of the National League Central. 
The 25-14 Brewers have won three games in a row after losing six of the previous eight, despite a number of personnel issues on the offensive side. No matter; Lucroy moved into the cleanup spot Tuesday and delivered a two-run single in the third inning, Weeks came off the bench for a run-scoring infield hit in the sixth, and Mark Reynolds and Jean Segura added an RBI apiece in the seventh. Estrada and three Brewers relievers did the rest, Estrada using 112 pitches to navigate traffic over six innings while holding the Pirates to only one run. He surrendered six hits and two walks but struck out eight batters, one shy of a season high.Brandon Kintzler and Will Smith preserved the lead over an inning apiece, Smith surrendering a run that was unearned because of Segura's throwing error, and Francisco Rodriguez bounced back from a blown save Sunday against the Yankees. Rodriguez's save was his 16th this season.The Brewers beat Pirates right-hander Gerrit Cole, who was one of the players in the middle of the action April 20 when the teams emptied the benches at PNC Park. The event began with Cole sharing sharp words with Gomez, who went 0-for-1 Tuesday with a walk and was hit by a pitch -- a changeup -- in the third inning.Gomez exited the game in the sixth with lower back tightness.Adam McCalvy / MLB.com
The 25-14 Brewers have won three games in a row after losing six of the previous eight, despite a number of personnel issues on the offensive side. No matter; Lucroy moved into the cleanup spot Tuesday and delivered a two-run single in the third inning, Weeks came off the bench for a run-scoring infield hit in the sixth, and Mark Reynolds and Jean Segura added an RBI apiece in the seventh. Estrada and three Brewers relievers did the rest, Estrada using 112 pitches to navigate traffic over six innings while holding the Pirates to only one run. He surrendered six hits and two walks but struck out eight batters, one shy of a season high.Brandon Kintzler and Will Smith preserved the lead over an inning apiece, Smith surrendering a run that was unearned because of Segura's throwing error, and Francisco Rodriguez bounced back from a blown save Sunday against the Yankees. Rodriguez's save was his 16th this season.The Brewers beat Pirates right-hander Gerrit Cole, who was one of the players in the middle of the action April 20 when the teams emptied the benches at PNC Park. The event began with Cole sharing sharp words with Gomez, who went 0-for-1 Tuesday with a walk and was hit by a pitch -- a changeup -- in the third inning.Gomez exited the game in the sixth with lower back tightness.Adam McCalvy / MLB.com
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