Nothing was settled until the seventh. Esmerlyn Valdez homered to right, Davis scored, Mangum scored and Lowe scored — four runs on one swing, turning a 6-3 hole into a 7-6 Pittsburgh lead that held the rest of the way. The Pirates had trailed by three entering that half-inning. They left it with the game in hand.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MIL | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 10 | 1 |
| PIT | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | X | 7 | 8 | 0 |
Valdez finished 3-for-4 with two home runs and six RBI. His first came in the third, a solo shot to center (421 feet) that gave Pittsburgh a 3-2 lead. His second, the go-ahead blast to right (380 feet) in the seventh, was the defining moment of the night. Hitting .314 on the season with 9 home runs and 24 RBI, Valdez carried the Pittsburgh offense from start to finish.
The Seventh Inning
Milwaukee had just extended its lead to 6-3 when William Contreras singled to left to score Mitchell in the top of the seventh. That advantage lasted roughly one half-inning. Valdez's grand slam off the Milwaukee bullpen flipped the scoreboard and gave Pittsburgh a lead it would not relinquish. Carmen Mlodzinski, who worked the final three innings and allowed 1 run, earned the win to improve to 6-3. Gregory Soto closed the ninth for his 12th save of the season.
The Brewers had built their lead with home run power of their own. Jake Bauers tied the game at 2-2 in the second with a two-run shot to right (375 feet), and Sal Frelick put Milwaukee ahead 5-3 in the fifth with a two-run homer to right (380 feet). Aaron Ashby, used in relief, took the loss — his second of the season against 12 wins — after allowing 3 runs on 3 hits in 1.0 inning. Pittsburgh starter Braxton Ashcraft gave up 5 runs over 5.0 innings and did not factor in the decision.
Pittsburgh improved to 48-47. Milwaukee, the NL Central leaders at 59-35, dropped this one after the bullpen could not hold a three-run advantage in the final innings.