PITTSBURGH – Zach Duke struck out a season-high seven in eight innings and Chris Duffy had a tiebreaking, two-run single, leading the Pittsburgh Pirates over the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3.

Freddy Sanchez went 1-for-4 and dropped to second in the NL batting race at .339, one point behind Florida’s Miguel Cabrera. Jack Wilson was 3-for-4 for the Pirates, who have won nine of 14.

Bill Hall hit his team-leading 31st homer for the Brewers, who have lost four of five and 14 of 17.

Duke (9-13) allowed two runs, five hits and two walks, pitching at least six innings for his ninth straight start.

Salomon Torres finished for his sixth save, allowing a two-out RBI single to Geoff Jenkins and a single to pinch-hitter Tony Gwynn Jr. Drew Anderson then pinch hit in his major league debut and struck out on a pitch in the dirt. Torres has saved the Pirates’ last six wins since taking over as closer when Mike Gonzalez went on the disabled list.

Doug Davis (10-10) gave up four runs, six hits and four walks in six innings. He had lost three starts in a row before pitching a four-hit shutout against the Los Angeles Dodgers last Tuesday.

Sanchez hit into a run-scoring forceout in the first, but David Bell’s RBI groundout tied it in the second. Wilson’s bunt single scored Duke for a 2-1 lead in the third, but Hall retired the game when he homered leading off the fourth.

Jose Bautista was hit by a pitch with one out in the bottom half, Jose Castillo walked, Duke sacrificed and Duffy singled for a 4-2 lead.

Notes: The Pirates wore patches on the left side of their uniform fronts to honor late Pittsburgh Mayor Bob O’Connor, who died Sept. 1. Pittsburgh, playing its first home game since O’Connor’s death, will wear the black-and-gold patches the remainder of the season. … The Brewers did not hit a double for the first time in 30 games, snapping the second-longest streak in franchise history. … The Pirates have been successful in 11 of their last 12 stolen-base attempts.

AP-ES-09-11-06 2141EDT