Milwaukee, WI (Betting Express) - J.J. Hardy hit a two-run homer as part of a five-run outburst in the fifth inning en route to a 9-1 Brewers victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the opener of a three-game set.

Hardy hit the home run with one out to give the Brewers a 5-1 lead early in the inning. Two batters later after Ryan Braun was picked off, Prince Fielder blooped a double down the left field line, keeping the frame alive. Corey Hart followed with a two-out RBI single to account for the sixth run.

Milwaukee continued the barrage with two outs, scoring two more runs on Bill Hall's RBI single and Jason Bay's throwing error. Pittsburgh starter Tom Gorzelanny was finally pulled after walking the next batter, Jason Kendall, on four pitches after the score had ballooned to 8-1.

Fielder added an RBI double in the sixth to make it 9-1 for the Brewers, who have won three of four.

Hardy finished the game batting 4-for-5 while Hall contributed three hits and three RBIs, including his 11th home run of the year.

Ben Sheets (10-2) threw 120 pitches, which kept his outing relatively short, but in his 5 2/3 innings he only allowed a run on eight hits with six strikeouts and three walks. The win was Sheets' fourth in his last five starts.

Gorzelanny (6-7), on the other hand, was shelled in 4 2/3 innings, giving up eight runs - seven earned - on 11 hits while striking out four and walking four. His ERA now stands at 6.57, the worst in the National League among qualifying pitchers.

Bay, Xavier Nady and Jack Wilson each contributed two hits for the Pirates, losers of three of their last five.

Hall snapped an 0-13 streak in a big way in the second inning, putting the Brewers ahead with a two-run shot to center field.

Pittsburgh answered right back in the third, starting the inning by getting the first two batters on base. Sheets then got Bay to fly out and Ryan Doumit to strike out, but couldn't stay out of trouble as the red-hot Nady hit a ground-rule double to cut the lead to 2-1.

The Brewers added their third run in the fourth when Hall doubled and Kendall hit an RBI single - all with two outs - to push the lead to 3-1.

Once again, the Pirates responded quickly, putting runners on second and third with only one out after Doumit doubled down the left field line. Sheets got out of the jam, however, getting Nady to pop up and Adam LaRoche to strike out looking.

Game Notes

The Brewers lead the season series 3-1...Milwaukee is 27-15 since May 20, which is the best record in the National League...Hardy's first-inning single extended his hitting streak to 16 games, the longest by a Brewers player this year...The Pirates designated pitcher and former first overall pick Bryan Bullington for assignment on Friday and activated Chris Duffy from the 60-day disabled list.