Brent Suter pitched five efficient innings, Ryan Braun homered and Milwaukee beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-0 to gain ground in its playoff chase.
Milwaukee pulled within 3 1/2 games of the Cubs in the NL Central and two games behind the Rockies for the final NL wild card. Chicago and Colorado were both off Monday.
Suter allowed five hits and struck out four, throwing just 64 pitches before handing off to the bullpen.
Five relievers split the final four innings, with Corey Knebel pitching the ninth for his 36th save in 41 tries.
Braun's solo shot, his 17th of the season, came in the fourth inning off starter Jameson Taillon (7-7).
Travis Shaw hit an RBI single in the eighth. It was Shaw's team-leading 96th RBI this year.
