MILWAUKEE — The trade for CC Sabathia keeps looking better and better.

Sabathia sizzled on short rest, giving up four hits over seven innings while striking out a season-high 11 and the Brewers rallied past the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-2 Wednesday night to tie the New York Mets in the NL wild-card race.

New York lost 9-6 in 10 innings to Chicago.

"Every game we know is big, no matter who we're playing, so pretty much right now every game's a playoff game so you've got to go out and try to win any way you can," Sabathia said

Milwaukee won its 11th straight over Pittsburgh in its desperate quest to make the postseason for the first time since 1982.

"Pitching on this short of rest and throwing 100 pitches every time and dominating like that is unbelievable," said Prince Fielder, who hit a two-out homer in the bottom of the ninth to win Tuesday's game. "For a guy to come in and not be with the team all year and for him to feel like that and for us to believe in him like that is a credit to him."

Sabathia, who came to Milwaukee on July 7 from Cleveland for four prospects, had his eighth game this season with at least 10 strikeouts and the Brewers are 13-3 when he starts.

Sabathia's (10-2) latest performance came at a crucial time for the Brewers, who started September with a 5½-game lead in the wild card but squandered it with a 2-8 road trip.

The Pirates have lost eight straight on the road and 14 in a row in Milwaukee.