Milwaukee's Corey Hart, center, celebrates with teammates after his walk-off two-run homer gave the Brewers a 6-5 win over the Pirates Sunday at Miller Park.

MILWAUKEE — Corey Hart's game-winning home run capped a rocky first half of the season for the Brewers' All-Star outfielder, one that started ugly and ended sensationally.

Hart hit a two-run shot in the ninth inning to give Milwaukee a dramatic 6-5 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday. It was Hart's 21st of the season and second game winner.

Hart's season did not start well. He beat the Brewers in salary arbitration, then was tabbed as a platoon player sharing time in right field with the newly acquired Jim Edmonds. The team even left Hart's name off the All-Star ballot.

"I was trying not to get released the first month of the year," Hart said. "It's a pretty good feeling to be able to come back like this."

The Brewers trailed 5-4 when Edmonds led off with a ground-rule double. Rickie Weeks flied out before Hart belted a 2-0 pitch from Octavio Dotel (2-2) over the wall in left for his second game-ending home run of the season.

Dotel had his streak of seven straight saves snapped Friday night when he allowed one run in the ninth as the Brewers took the first game of the series.

Lastings Milledge came to the defense of the Pirates bullpen, which has converted 20 of 30 save opportunities.

"Nobody can question what the bullpen's been doing," he said. "They've been unstoppable out there the whole year. We haven't given them too much to work with throughout the year."

John Axford (5-1) allowed a run in the ninth but picked up the win for Milwaukee.