Milwaukee Brewers at Pittsburgh Pirates

With the Pirates' postseason chances all but erased, there’s still one accomplishment to hang their hat on. The Brewers are baseball’s best team, on their way to 95-plus wins for the second consecutive year. They are among the favorites to take home the Commissioner’s Trophy. However, Pittsburgh has held its own against the Brew Crew. The Pirates defeated Milwaukee, 7-4, on Thursday afternoon at PNC Park to clinch the season series. Pittsburgh hadn’t won the season series with the Brewers since 2018, when they went 12-7. The sides split the season series in 2020, 5-5.  “They obviously won the division, and I think it's something that we're trying to get there,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “As we continue to compete against them and continue to get better, we need to find ways to do that. I thought we played well against them over the course of the year. They're a really tough team.” Pittsburgh is the only NL Central team with a winning record against Milwaukee, joining the Giants, Padres, Nationals, Athletics, Red Sox and Tigers. The turnaround has been significant, with the Pirates going from 3-10 against the Brewers last season to winning this year's series, 7-6. The Bucs put themselves in position to win the season series before the All-Star break, when they led, 5-1, after a series sweep at home. The Pirates added a victory on the day of the Trade Deadline, Aug. 3, but then dropped three straight in the four-game set.  Milwaukee won Tuesday's series opener to clinch its fourth straight division title, celebrating with champagne in the visiting clubhouse as Pittsburgh sat on the brink of elimination. “I think it's a big deal,” closer Mason Montgomery said of beating Milwaukee. “They're a team that's clinched. They're a really good team. We're just trying to take it one day at a time. So I think each win is huge.”