MILWAUKEE (Interstat) — Dustin May allowed two runs over six innings, and the Milwaukee Brewers broke open a tie game with a three-run burst across the fifth and sixth innings to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-2 on Thursday at American Family Field.

May (6-7) scattered three hits and struck out five while walking one. He retired nine of the first 10 batters he faced before Pittsburgh tied the game in the fourth. The right-hander, who worked efficiently throughout his 6-inning outing, induced three double plays behind him and left with the lead.

Milwaukee struck first against Pittsburgh starter Braxton Ashcraft. Jackson Chourio led off the bottom of the first with his 15th home run, a fly ball to center field, to give the Brewers a 1-0 edge. Ashcraft escaped further damage by striking out Garrett Mitchell and Andrew Vaughn, but the deep ball remained the only scoring until the middle innings.

Pittsburgh answered in the fourth. Brandon Lowe led off the inning with his 24th home run to left-center field, tying the game at 1. Bryan Reynolds then walked, and Endy Rodríguez singled to center to put two on. Spencer Horwitz followed with a line-drive single to center that scored Reynolds and gave the Pirates a 2-1 lead, though Rodríguez was thrown out at third on the play. Nick Gonzales and Ronny Simon both recorded outs to end the inning, leaving the score at 2-2.

Ashcraft settled in after the opening-frame homer, retiring the side in order in the second and third. He also worked a clean fourth, but Milwaukee regained control in the fifth. Gary Sánchez led off with his ninth home run to left-center, tying the game again at 2. After David Hamilton struck out, Cooper Pratt doubled to center. Brice Turang then singled on a ground ball to left, with the ball deflected by third baseman Nick Gonzales, and Pratt scored to make it 4-2. Ashcraft struck out Luis Lara and got Chourio to fly out to end the inning, but the damage was done.

Ashcraft (11-5) took the loss after allowing four earned runs on four hits in five innings. He struck out five and did not walk a batter. The Pirates left-hander had won his previous two decisions but could not hold the lead against a Brewers offense that had taken two of the first three games of the series.

Milwaukee added an insurance run in the sixth. Garrett Mitchell doubled to center to lead off the frame, and Andrew Vaughn followed with a sharp single to left, scoring Mitchell to push the lead to 5-2. The Brewers threatened for more after González singled with two outs and Andrew Vaughn advanced to second, but David Hamilton struck out to end the inning.

The Pirates put runners on base against the Milwaukee bullpen but could not convert. In the seventh, Nick Gonzales singled with one out, but Ronny Simon flied out and Jared Triolo lined into a double play to right fielder Luis Lara and first baseman Andrew Vaughn to end the threat. In the eighth, Jake Mangum doubled with one out, but Brandon Lowe and Bryan Reynolds both struck out. The Pirates loaded the bases in the ninth on a walk to Spencer Horwitz and a single by Nick Gonzales, but Ronny Simon grounded into a double play to end the game.

Milwaukee’s bullpen held Pittsburgh in check. DL Hall threw a scoreless seventh, Aaron Ashby worked the eighth and struck out three, and Chad Patrick pitched the ninth for his fifth save, allowing one hit and striking out one. Kirby Yates and Camilo Doval had each worked scoreless relief for Pittsburgh earlier in the game.

Sánchez finished 2-for-3 with a home run and an RBI. Chourio went 1-for-3 with a solo homer, and Pratt went 1-for-2 with an RBI. Brice Turang and Andrew Vaughn each had run-scoring hits. For Pittsburgh, Lowe and Horwitz each drove in a run, and Nick Gonzales had two hits.

The win extended Milwaukee’s lead in the National League Central and improved the Brewers to 72-43. Pittsburgh dropped to 57-60. The teams split the four-game series after Milwaukee won three of four at American Family Field.

Attendance was 38,145, and the game, which began in the afternoon and concluded in the evening, lasted 2 hours 27 minutes. Pittsburgh pitchers combined for 12 strikes, 49 balls and 12 balls in play, while Milwaukee pitchers combined for 13 strikes, 38 balls and 13 balls in play.

Interstat’s game simulator projected a final score of Milwaukee 6, Pittsburgh 4, and its ELO system gave Milwaukee a 64.70 percent probability to win. The Brewers were installed as 1.5-run favorites, and the combined total of 7 went over the over/under line of 7.5.