MILWAUKEE — The Pittsburgh Pirates had timely hitting, but a key double play helped even more.

Andrew McCutchen, Jody Mercer and Josh Bell each drove in two runs and the Pirates preserved their faint playoff hopes with a 6-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night.

The Pirates won their fifth straight at Miller Park, and fifth of six overall to improve to .500 (75-75) for the first time since they were 69-69 on Sept. 8. Pittsburgh began the day five games behind San Francisco for the second NL wild card spot and St. Louis Cardinals and Miami Marlins in between the Pirates and Giants.

McCutchen’s two-run double in the first staked rookie left-hander Steven Brault to an early lead. Then, Bell’s two-run single in the top of fifth chased starter Matt Garza (5-8).

Staked to a 5-2 lead in the bottom of the fifth, Brault walked Jonathan Villar who stole second and moved to third on Orlando Arcia’s single to center. Pirates manager Clint Hurdle made a move to his bullpen and brought in Jared Hughes (1-1) to face Chris Carter.

“It is first and third with nobody out in the fifth,” Hurdle said. “Where we are in the season right now, I felt (Brault) gave us (enough.) It is a sticky situation.”

Carter lined Hughes’ first pitch at third baseman Jung Ho Kang, who fielded the ball cleanly and turned it into a double play that deflated the rally. Hughes struck out Domingo Santana to end the threat.

“We ended up scoring a run, but that’s two outs right there on one pitch,” Carter said. “He ended up (retiring) the next guy. That kind of changed the momentum right there.”

Brewers manager Craig Counsell was even more emphatic.

“That was a big play,” he said. “We had guys on first and second and got to their bullpen. Chris hit a ball hard, and he made a nice play. That certainly was the play of the game, for sure.”

The Brewers went quietly the rest of the way against the Pirates’ bullpen.

“You want guys who can come in and have some experience and take care of it from there,” Hurdle said.

And that’s exactly what happened.

Wade LeBlanc pitched the sixth which ended on another double play. Juan Nicasio set the side down in order in the seventh. Antonio Bastardo struck out two in the eighth and Tony Watson tossed a perfect ninth for his 14th save in 17 chances.

Brault was making his seventh career start and had already lost twice to the Brewers.