PITTSBURGH (AP) — Brandon Woodruff pitched seven shutout innings and Mark Canha’s two-run single capped a six-run fifth inning as the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-3 on Tuesday night.

Woodruff (4-1) allowed just two hits, singles to Ji Hwan Bae in the first inning and Endy Rodriguez in the fifth. Woodruff also had six strikeouts and two walks while improving to 14-3 with a 2.36 ERA in his last 29 starts dating to last season.

“I thought it was a good outing and that he got stronger as the game went on and then really got on cruise control and every pitch started working well,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “Just a great outing.”

Coming off back-to-back losses, the Brewers entered the night 2 1/2 games ahead of the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central race.

Woodruff missed nearly four months with right shoulder inflammation before returning Aug. 6. He is beginning to feel comfortable again after making six starts.

“I expect to go out there and pitch well but coming off this injury it’s a weird deal where I expect to go out there and perform yet not have many expectations because I don’t have a full season to work with,” Woodruff said. “I’m trying to go out there and have fun and go pitch to pitch. I’m kind of just working inning to inning so far. Thankfully, it’s working out so far.”

Connor Joe broke up the Brewers’ shutout bid by hitting a three-run home run in the ninth inning off Clayton Andrews for just his second hit in his last 29 at-bats. The Pirates had runners on first and second with two outs but Elvis Peguero got Miguel Andujar to hit a game-ending ground out.

Andre Jackson (1-2) was charged with six runs in 4 1/3 innings and walked five as the Pirates lost for just the second time in eight games.

The Brewers broke a scoreless tie with a run in the fourth on a double-play grounder by Canha after Jackson walked the bases loaded.

Milwaukee extended its lead to 7-0 with the big fifth inning.

Andruw Monasterio drove in the first run with a triple to the 410-foot mark in left-center. Brice Turang hit an RBI single, Christian Yelich lofted a sacrifice fly and Carlos Santana doubled in a run before Canha delivered his two-run single to left field.

“As a hitter, you’re waiting for the pitch to make a mistake and he made one to me,” Monasterio said. “We started hitting mistakes in that inning. When you do that, you do damage at home plate.”

Jackson retired the Brewers in order in each of the first three innings before struggling in the fourth and fifth.

“Command of the zone,” Shelton said when asked what caused Jackson’s problems. “It didn’t look like the stuff ticked down a little bit. It’s just he wasn’t on the plate.”

Brewers rookie center fielder Sal Frelick had two hits. It was a bit of a homecoming for Frelick as his father Jeff’s – a former Pitt fullback — side of the family is from nearby Greensburg, Pennsylvania.

Milwaukee’s William Contreras walked twice but went 0 for 3 to end his career-best 14-game hitting streak.

Pirates reliever Hunter Stratton pitched two scoreless innings in his major league debut. Joshua Palacios had two hits.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Johan Oviedo pitched a two-hitter for his first complete game in 53 major league starts, Ke’Bryan Hayes had four hits and Zack Greinke lost his ninth consecutive decision in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 5-0 win and the Kansas City Royals on Monday night.

Oviedo (8-13) struck out five and walked two while throwing a career-high 112 pitches.

“He was on point the entire game,” Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton said. “When he got behind he was able to execute..”

It was just the 28th complete game in the major leagues this season and the first complete game in 150 professional starts for the 26-year-old right-hander dating to 2016. Oviedo had never before gotten an out in the eighth inning, must less pitch the ninth.

“I was trying not to think about anything,” Oviedo said. “I was very excited. I tried to just check my mind and make good pitches.”

Catcher Endy Rodríguez lobbied Shelton and pitching coach Oscar Martin to allow Oviedo to finish.

“Going into the ninth, I didn’t plan on pitching him, because he was at 97,” Shelton said of the pitch count. “I figured that was good. Endy Rodríguez made a pretty strong push. He kept saying, ‘Let’s go, he’s fine.’ … I figured: young catcher feeling it. We were hitter by hitter, but it was good for Endy and good for Ovi.”

Pittsburgh won at Kansas City for the first time since Aug. 20, 2015.

Kansas City (41-92) didn’t advance a runner past first base. The Royals were blanked for the 14th time this season and held to two hits or fewer for the eighth time.

“We didn’t put too many good swings on him,” Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro said.

Greinke (1-13) gave up two runs and six hits in 4 2/3 innings, dropping to 0-9 in 17 starts since beating Baltimore on May 3. The 39-year-old right-hander is tied with Oviedo, Kyle Freeland and Rich Hill for second in the majors in losses, trailing only teammate Jordan Lyles at 15. Grienke had only one 1-2-3 inning.

“He was a little bit off with his command,” Quatraro said. “It’s amazing how he can compete and get out of trouble. There’s a reason he’s been doing this for as long as he has.”

Hayes singled in the first, hit an RBI double in the third for a 2-0 lead, singled in the fifth to chase Greinke and singled in the seventh against Taylor Hearn. Hayes is hitting .438 (21 for 48) since Aug. 9 with four doubles, four home runs and eight RBIs.

“I’ve been putting good at-bats together and hitting the ball hard,” Hayes said. “We were able to find some holes. It feels good whenever you can find a hole.”

Alfonso Rivas hit a run-scoring double-play grounder in the second first after Rodríguez’s leadoff single and walks to Jack Suwinski and Liover Peguero.

Andrew McCutchen and Joshua Palacios had RBI singles in the seventh off Hearn. and Rivas doubled in a run in the eighth against Jackson Kowar.