MILWAUKEE (Interstat) — In a tense, old-fashioned pitchers’ duel decided by small ball, the Milwaukee Brewers used a trio of seventh-inning bunts to manufacture the go-ahead run and edge the Toronto Blue Jays 2-1 on Thursday afternoon at American Family Field.

The victory gave the Brewers (10-8) a series win, taking two of three from the Blue Jays (7-11) in a matchup where all three games were decided by a single run.

The decisive sequence unfolded in the bottom of the seventh with the score tied 1-1. Pinch-hitter Garrett Mitchell worked a leadoff walk against Toronto reliever Tommy Nance (0-1). Greg Jones then laid down a sacrifice bunt, moving Mitchell to second. David Hamilton followed with a perfectly placed bunt single down the third-base line, advancing Mitchell to third. With one out, shortstop Joey Ortiz executed the third consecutive bunt, a safety squeeze that scored Mitchell easily from third. Hamilton took second on the play but was stranded.

That lone run made a winner of Milwaukee’s Aaron Ashby, who entered with two outs in the seventh and got the final out of the inning. Ashby (5-0) now leads the majors in victories. Angel Zerpa worked a scoreless ninth for his second save, stranding the potential tying run at third base after a leadoff single by Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

The game was a showcase for starting pitching. Milwaukee’s Brandon Sproat, named the top star for the Brewers, delivered 6 2/3 strong innings, allowing one run on four hits while striking out six. His performance was a bounce-back after two shorter outings earlier in April.

He was matched nearly pitch-for-pitch by Toronto’s Patrick Corbin, who went 5 2/3 innings, giving up one run on four hits with six strikeouts.

Toronto struck first in the third inning. Andrés Giménez led off with a double and advanced to third on a single by Ernie Clement. Catcher Tyler Heineman brought Giménez home with a sacrifice bunt to give the Blue Jays a 1-0 lead.

Milwaukee answered in the fourth. Brice Turang doubled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Luis Rengifo, knotting the game at 1-1.

Both bullpens held firm until Milwaukee’s bunt barrage in the seventh. Trevor Megill pitched a perfect eighth inning for the Brewers, striking out two. Zerpa closed it out in the ninth, inducing a game-ending groundout from Kazuma Okamoto with Guerrero Jr. on third.

The Blue Jays managed just six hits total, with Lenyn Sosa collecting a double. Milwaukee’s seven hits included two from designated hitter Gary Sánchez, who doubled in the eighth.

The game, played in 2 hours and 15 minutes before an announced crowd of 23,098, defied pregame expectations. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a 4-3 Brewers win, and the betting total was set at 8.5 runs, a mark the teams combined to fall well under with only three total runs scored.

The result continued a trend of close games for both clubs. Toronto fell to 3-5 in one-run games this season, while Milwaukee improved to 4-3 in such contests.

The Blue Jays now head west to open a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday. The Brewers, meanwhile, embark on a road trip, starting with a three-game set against the Miami Marlins, also on Friday.