PITTSBURGH — There was no early hook for Jared Jones this time around. Just one start after his controversial, predetermined exit last week at Citi Field, the 22-year-old rookie stood on the mound with two outs and the bases loaded in the top of the sixth inning.

The inning prior, he surrendered a solo home run to Rhys Hoskins that tied the game at one. Another mistake would have not only brought an end to his night, but possibly extended his club’s losing streak to seven games.

But with the entire team’s weight on his shoulders, Jones delivered, getting a bounce out to conclude yet another strong outing. The Pirates rewarded him the following frame, tallying three runs to make him the winning pitcher in their 4-2 victory over the Brewers Monday evening at PNC Park.

Once again, Jones overwhelmed opposing hitters from start to finish with his lethal fastball-slider combo. The two-pitch mix accounted for 84 of his 91 pitches on the day, along with each of his seven strikeouts.

The Pirates provided Jones with early run support thanks to a change in the lineup. Looking to shake things up, manager Derek Shelton moved veteran designated hitter Andrew McCutchen to the top of the order. McCutchen instantly rewarded his skipper's choice, blasting a lead-off homer in the bottom of the first.

After going quiet for the next few innings, the club woke back up in the bottom of the sixth, chasing Brewers starter Joe Ross en route to scoring thrice to put itself ahead for good. Ke’Bryan Hayes started the rally with a one-out infield single, which was followed by a pinch-hit single from Connor Joe.

With two on, Jack Suwinski smacked a weak grounder to the right side of the infield, causing a wild throw from Brewers’ first baseman Jake Bauers which brought home Hayes for the go-ahead run. Oneil Cruz kept the party going two at-bats later, singling to center to bring home both Joe and Suwinski.

Milwaukee tagged Aroldis Chapman for a run in the top of the eighth to make things a bit more interesting. But with the bases loaded and one out, Hunter Stratton came in to dance the Pirates out of the jam.

David Bednar finished the job by coming on to record his third save of the season. Jones improved to 2-2 with the victory, while Ross fell to 1-2 with the loss.

On the mound

Jones needed just 15 pitches to get through the first inning. He allowed just one hit — a two-out single to Joey Ortiz — in his first four innings of work. But the best way to illustrate his dominance came in the top of the third inning, on a strikeout against Milwaukee’s Brice Turang.

Behind in the count 1-2, Turang stood in the left-handed batter’s box looking for another fastball, which is what Jones threw him the prior two pitches. But rather than getting another heater, the Brewers’ second baseman instead was met by an 89.9 mph slider that caused him to slip and fall flat on his back.

Turang’s check swing on the pitch ended the at-bat on a strikeout. Before getting back to his two feet, the 24-year old simply looked at Jones on the mound and shook his head in awe.

At the plate

Just one day after admitting his confidence had taken a hit throughout his recent slump, Cruz bounced back against Milwaukee, finishing 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. The performance marked just his second three-hit game of the season, with the other coming on April 5 in the club’s home opener loss to the Orioles.

Up next

Tuesday: Brewers at Pirates, 6:40 p.m., PNC Park.

TV, radio: SportsNet Pittsburgh, KDKA-FM (93.7).

Probable starters: LHP Bailey Falter (1-1, 4.05) for Pirates; TBD for Brewers.

Key matchup: Falter enters Tuesday coming off three straight solid starts, having allowed just three earned runs on nine hits and a pair of walks while striking out eight in 16 total innings of work.

Hidden Stat: McCutchen’s single in the bottom of the third inning marked No. 1000 in a Pirates uniform.

Wednesday: Brewers at Pirates, 6:40 p.m., PNC Park.

Wednesday’s starters: RHP Quinn Priester (0-1, 8.31) for Pirates; RHP Freddy Peralta (2-0, 1.90) for Brewers.

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