PITTSBURGH -- Matt Garza provided the edge, even if it ended his night early. The Milwaukee Brewers took it from there, tightening the NL wild-card race with a contentious 1-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday. Garza was ejected in the fifth inning after hitting reigning NL MVP Andrew McCutchen for a second time. The bullpen stepped in and kept the surging Pirates at bay with 4 1-3 shutout innings. The Brewers scored the games only run on when Elian Herrera sprinted home on Logan Schafers sacrifice fly off Mark Melancon (3-5) in the ninth. Milwaukee drew within 3 1/2 games of the Pirates for the last playoff spot with eight days left in the regular season by winning for just the second time in its last 13 road games. "We knew what we had to do and we know how things have been going," manager Ron Roenicke said. The Brewers celebrated loudly in the hallway leading to the clubhouse, the kind of fire thats been missing during their lengthy September swoon. Garza, however, stoked the fire with 4 2/3 strong innings. His work included two run-ins with McCutchen. Garza hit the Pittsburgh star centre fielder on the left shoulder in the third then grazed McCutchens elbow with the bases empty two innings later. Both plunkings came with two outs and the bases empty, hardly the kind of pitches meant to send a message. "If people think I hit McCutchen on purpose, with a 1-2 count in a game like this, then youre just an idiot," Garza said. Garza had hit just two batters in 158 innings coming in. McCutchen -- who went to the disabled list in August with fractured rib cartilage shortly after getting drilled while playing in Arizona -- figures Garza was just trying to work inside when the pitches got away from him. "He didnt try to hit me but he got it in and Im sure hes thinking its better he hit me than me hit him with a homer or double or something," McCutchen said. Zach Duke (5-1), a former All-Star with the Pirates, picked up the victory after getting the final out of the eighth. Francisco Rodriguez worked a perfect ninth for his 43rd save of the season and 347th of his career, moving him into a tie with Randy Myers for 10th on the all-time list. Herrera reached on a forceout off Melancon (3-5) in the ninth and moved to third on Lyle Overbays second double of the night. Herrera scored when Schafers fly to left was just deep enough. The Pirates left 10 runners on base and went 0 for 8 with men in scoring position. "The pitchers were out there and kept putting up zeroes," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. "We had some opportunities and couldnt push a run across and they got one late." Pittsburgh starter Edinson Volquez retaliated after the first plunking by throwing inside to Milwaukee star Ryan Braun, earning a warning to both benches, making Garzas ejection automatic even as he pled his case to home plate umpire Marty Foster. "He just told me, In this type of situation, my hands are tied," Garza said. "I said, Come on, you know it. Hes like, Yeah, I know and all three umpires over there are like, Youve got to understand the situation." Garzas unexpected departure forced the Brewers to rely on an already taxed bullpen that had blown games on Thursday and Friday. This time a string of six relievers stood firm after letting late leads slip away earlier in the week. The Pirates loaded the bases with one out in the eighth but Starling Marte lined to third and pinch-hitter Gaby Sanchez grounded out to short against Duke. Volquez lacked Garzas crispness early, needing 52 pitches to labour through the first three innings alone, but continued his remarkable bounce back season. The pitcher who went 9-12 with a 5.71 ERA a year ago while pitching for San Diego and the Los Angeles Dodgers lowered his ERA to 3.15 by keeping the Brewers off the scoreboard before exiting in the seventh.. UP NEXT Brewers: RHP Wily Peralta (16-10, 3.70 ERA) makes his 31st start of the season on Sunday. He is 2-1 with a 4.32 ERA in four career starts against the Pirates, all of the starts coming at Miller Park. Pirates: RHP Vance Worley (7-4, 3.18 ERA) returns to the rotation after making a brief move to the bullpen when Charlie Morton was taken off the disabled list. Worley is 0-3 with a 5.48 ERA in four career starts against Milwaukee. He gave up four runs on 12 hits in a 4-3 loss to Milwaukee on Aug. 24. David Freese Dodgers Jersey .com) - Delon Wright scored 17 points and No. Manny Mota Dodgers Jersey . The defeat leaves the 41-year-old Nestor to concentrate on the mixed-doubles event after winning 12 straight matches and winning Australian titles in Brisbane and Sydney with two different partners. 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They claim only three are delayed, with the other three being handed over after the expected date only because of problems accommodating the schedule of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, who wants to be present for the ceremonies.MELBOURNE, Australia - Serena Williams saw that older sister Venus was progressing to the fourth round at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time since 2011 and it inspired her own comeback win on Saturday at the Australian Open.Top-ranked Serena Willliams made a lacklustre start to her third-round match against No. 26-ranked Elina Svitolina on Rod Laver Arena — knowing when she walked out that Venus was down a set and a break on a nearby court — but picked up her game after realizing her sister had recovered and was advancing with a 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-1 win over Camila Giorgi.Svitolina kept hitting winners in the first set, theres not much I can do. Then I saw (Venus) score and thought Wow shes winning, well I can do better, Serena Williams said after her 4-6, 6-2, 6-0 win. We always motivate each other.Shell have to be at the top of her game in the next round she meets No. 24 Garbine Muguruza, who beat her in the second round at the French Open last year. Muguruza defeated Timea Bacsinszky 6-3, 4-6, 6-0.Venus Williams couldnt contain her delight after her win on Margaret Court Arena, beaming a smile as she turned to wave to all sides of thee stadium and then moved to the music blaring over the loud speakers.dddddddddddd.The 34-year-old, seven-time major winner next faces sixth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska, a semifinalist here last year and Wimbledon finalist in 2012, who advanced with a 6-0, 7-5 win over Varvara Lepchenko.Venus Williams was diagnosed with an auto-immune condition called Sjogrens syndrome in 2011, which can cause joint pain and saps energy. In the 13 Grand Slam tournaments after her fourth-round appearance at Wimbledon that year, she skipped two and made first-round exits in four others, including the 2014 Australian Open.She was only two points from a third-round departure in the second set against Giorgi, serving at 30-30 in the ninth game, before working her way back into the contest. Giorgi contributed to her own demise with 16 double-faults.Well, this old cat has a few tricks left, Williams said in her on-court interview. Being back into the fourth round, feels fantastic especially when things happen in your life and its not in your control, so it definitely feels awesome to be here, and I dont want to leave it at that. Ill try to keep going. ' ' '