Marco Estrada pitched shutout ball into the seventh inning, Rickie Weeks and Aramis Ramirez homered and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Atlanta Braves 5-0 Tuesday night.
The Brewers won their eighth in a row at Miller Park and reached the .500 mark for the first time since April 24. Milwaukee has surged back into the NL wild-card race by winning 17 of 22 overall, and beat the wild card-leading Braves for the second straight day. The Brewers now trail the Braves by four games in the wild-card standings.
Estrada (3-6) was dominant from the start, allowing only two singles to Andrelton Simmons in the first five innings.
Estrada allowed four hits in 6 2 /3 innings and struck out six.
Comox Valley native Taylor Green came in to pinch-hit for the Brewers in a three-run seventh inning and had an RBI single.
Good defence helped Estrada keep the Braves off the scoreboard in the seventh. After a one-out single by Dan Uggla, Lyle Overbay hit a drive into the gap and right fielder Norichka Aoki made a leaping catch to prevent an extra base hit.
Estrada was replaced by Jim Henderson, who got Simmons to ground out to end the inning.
Four Milwaukee pitchers combined on a five-hitter.
