MILWAUKEE (Interstat) — Kyle Harrison pitched five scoreless innings and struck out 10, and the Milwaukee Brewers used a three-run fourth inning to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-2 on Wednesday at American Family Field.

Harrison allowed one hit and walked none while improving to 9-2. Paul Skenes took the loss for Pittsburgh, falling to 9-10 after allowing three earned runs in five innings. Trevor Megill pitched the ninth for his 20th save.

The Brewers improved to 71-43. The Pirates dropped to 57-59.

Milwaukee won the series opener Tuesday, Pittsburgh answered Monday, and the Brewers regained the lead in the four-game set with two wins in the first three games. The teams conclude the series Thursday night.

Harrison was the story early. He retired 12 of the first 14 Pirates hitters and allowed only a second-inning single to Nick Gonzales. Harrison struck out the side in the fifth, closing his outing by getting Endy Rodriguez, Jared Triolo and Nick Gonzales on strikeouts. He did not walk a batter.

Skenes worked around early traffic. Brice Turang walked to open the Milwaukee first, moved to third on Jackson Chourio’s flyout and was left there when Garrett Mitchell struck out and William Contreras grounded out. Skenes retired the side in order in the second and third, then ran into trouble in the fourth.

Garrett Mitchell led off the fourth with a walk and William Contreras followed with a walk. Christian Yelich doubled down the right-field line, scoring Mitchell and moving Contreras to third. Andrew Vaughn then singled to right, plating Contreras and Yelich to give Milwaukee a 3-0 lead. Luis Lara walked to put runners at first and second, but Cooper Pratt grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Skenes finished with two hits allowed, three walks and six strikeouts over five innings. Pittsburgh’s offense managed little against Harrison and the Milwaukee bullpen through six innings.

The Brewers extended the lead in the sixth. Contreras led off against reliever Lake Bachar and homered to left-center, his 11th home run of the season, making it 4-0. Christian Yelich followed with a single and Andrew Vaughn walked, but Bachar escaped further damage when Luis Lara struck out and Cooper Pratt grounded out.

Pittsburgh cut the deficit in the seventh. Bryan Reynolds singled sharply to center, and Esmerlyn Valdez walked to put two on with nobody out. Nick Gonzales then grounded into a double play, but Reynolds advanced to third on the play. Endy Rodriguez followed by homering to left-center, his seventh home run of the year, scoring Reynolds and trimming the Brewers’ lead to 4-2.

The Pirates could not sustain the rally. Jacob Gonzalez struck out on a foul tip to end the inning. Milwaukee’s bullpen took over from there.

Chad Patrick pitched a scoreless sixth, striking out two. Antonio Senzatela recorded an out in the seventh. Abner Uribe worked a clean eighth. Megill retired the side in order in the ninth, getting Esmerlyn Valdez to strike out for the final out.

Pittsburgh had three hits in the game and grounded into two double plays. Milwaukee had four hits.

Bachar worked two innings of relief for Pittsburgh and allowed one run on two hits with two strikeouts. Evan Sisk struck out two in a scoreless inning of relief.

Milwaukee’s relief corps combined to keep Pittsburgh off the board after Rodriguez’s homer. The Pirates did not get a runner into scoring position after the seventh inning.

The game took 2 hours, 37 minutes and drew an announced attendance of 33,528.

Pittsburgh’s loss continued a rough stretch on the road. The Pirates have lost two straight after taking Monday’s game against Milwaukee. They remain below .500 as they head into the final game of the series.

Milwaukee has been one of the best teams in the league all season and continues to roll at home. The Brewers have won 7 of their last 10 meetings with the Pirates, including the last two games in this series.

Rodriguez provided the only meaningful Pittsburgh offense. His two-run homer pulled the Pirates within two runs, but they could not complete the comeback. Reynolds had a single in addition to scoring on Rodriguez’s homer. Gonzales had the other Pittsburgh hit.

Contreras was the key offensive contributor for Milwaukee. He walked and scored in the fourth, then homered in the sixth. Yelich had two hits, doubled in the fourth and singled in the sixth. Vaughn drove in two runs in the fourth.

Harrison’s performance set the tone for Milwaukee. He threw 5.0 innings of one-hit ball and did not allow an earned run. His 10 strikeouts were the most by any pitcher in the game.

Skenes could not match Harrison. He allowed the three-run fourth and exited after five innings. Skenes walked three and struck out six. He threw 17 strikes and 39 balls with 17 balls in play, according to game data.

Milwaukee pitchers combined for 18 strikes, 63 balls and 18 balls in play. Pittsburgh pitchers combined for 17 strikes, 39 balls and 17 balls in play.

The Brewers outhit the Pirates 4-3 and did not commit an error. The Pirates also did not commit an error.

Milwaukee’s victory moved the Brewers to 71-43, giving them a 28-game cushion over the .500 mark. Pittsburgh dropped to two games below .500 at 57-59.

The Pirates’ previous game in Milwaukee was a 2-1 loss Tuesday. Pittsburgh won the opener of the series Monday by a 4-3 score. The Brewers had won the previous head-to-head meeting July 12 in Pittsburgh by a 14-5 margin.

Milwaukee played without needing an extra-inning frame and used just four relief pitchers. Chad Patrick, Antonio Senzatela, Abner Uribe and Trevor Megill combined to cover the final four innings, with Megill earning the save.

Pittsburgh used three relievers after Skenes. Bachar pitched the sixth and seventh, allowing Contreras’ homer. Sisk pitched the eighth and struck out two. The Pirates did not need a fourth reliever because the game ended after nine innings.

The game marked the middle game of a four-game series between the teams. The Pirates remain in Milwaukee for the series finale Thursday, then travel to face the New York Mets at home Friday.

The Brewers welcome the Minnesota Twins to Milwaukee after the series with Pittsburgh concludes. Milwaukee then hits the road for games at San Diego and Los Angeles.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Milwaukee 5, Pittsburgh 4. Interstat’s ELO system gave Milwaukee a 64.10 percent probability to win. Pittsburgh had been installed as a pregame favorite with a -1.5 run-line spread. The combined score of 6 went under the over/under line of 7.5.