And the favorites held up their end. Pittsburgh's only offense came in a bunch — a 2-run 4th that tied the game — but Milwaukee answered right back, scoring in each of the next two innings to pull away for good.
The linescore tells the story: Milwaukee spread its offense across four different innings while Pittsburgh managed just the one big frame. That's been the theme of this series — the Pirates have had their moments, taking one of the first three games, but they haven't been able to sustain anything for more than an inning or two against a Brewers offense that just keeps finding the next run.
Milwaukee's form card tells the same story at a bigger scale — the Brewers came in having won 2 straight and taken 2 of the first 3 in this set, riding one of the better records in baseball at 71-43. Pittsburgh, at 57-59, is scuffling under a rash of injuries that go beyond Cruz — Ryan O'Hearn's out with a quad strain and rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin is shelved too, thinning out a lineup that already needed Ashcraft to be perfect.
None of it changes the standings math. Milwaukee keeps pulling away in the Central race, and Pittsburgh's stuck searching for answers with a beat-up roster and a rotation that just lost Mitch Keller to a 60-day injured list stint. Thursday's finale was one more data point in a season that's increasingly lopsided.