MILWAUKEE — One day after serving as a decoy, Gabe Gross really made his Brewers debut on Tuesday night.

He really made it count, too.

Gross homered as a pinch-hitter in his first at-bat with the Brewers and Chris Capuano pitched six solid innings to lead Milwaukee past the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-5.

"It's a little more fun to actually have the bat in your hands," Gross said.

Gross was announced as a pinch-hitter at a critical juncture Monday, only to be withdrawn in favor of Jeff Cirillo when Pittsburgh changed pitchers.

After watching Cirillo deliver a two-run single in the season opener, it was Gross' turn on Tuesday — two examples, Gross said, of the sort of clutch hitting the Brewers will need if they are to fulfill high expectations this season.

"We really have a chance to contend this year, and it's going to take what Jeff Cirillo did yesterday, what I did today," Gross said.

It's also going to take a little luck, as closer Derrick Turnbow demonstrated in a shaky ninth inning.

With runners at second and third and one out, Pirates pinch-hitter Freddy Sanchez hit a liner up the middle that appeared headed for center field and a tying, two-run single. But Turnbow reacted quickly and caught it.

"Pure luck," Turnbow said.

Bad luck for the Pirates and manager Jim Tracy.

"Personally, I don't know how he caught it," Tracy said.

Turnbow retired Nate McLouth on a popup to end the game and earn his second save.

"When things are going good, they're going good," Brewers manager Ned Yost said.

Jeromy Burnitz, whose pinch-hit homer sparked a three-run seventh inning that shaved the Brewers' lead to one, said it was a good sign for the Pirates.

"That's a positive sign to be on a guy that's so nasty," Burnitz.

Gross' two-run shot in the sixth inning landed on a catwalk in right-center, putting the Brewers ahead 5-2. J.J. Hardy added an RBI single later in the inning.

Gross hit his first career pinch-hit homer. He was acquired from Toronto with right-hander Dave Bush and pitching prospect Zach Jackson, a Seneca Valley graduate, in a trade for first baseman Lyle Overbay in December. Gross became the fifth player in Brewers history to hit a home run in his first plate appearance for the team.

After the Pirates' three-run rally in the seventh, Damian Miller singled home Rickie Weeks in the bottom half.

Two days, two tough losses for the Pirates.

"You can't ask a group of players to play any harder than they have for two days and, especially tonight, take the kind of at-bats that we took all night long," Tracy said.

Capuano, an 18-game winner last year, gave up two runs and struck out seven for the win.

Victor Santos, who was 15-25 over the past two seasons with Milwaukee, took the loss in his debut with the Pirates. Santos' wild pitch in the fifth allowed Brady Clark to score the go-ahead run, as the Brewers took a 3-2 lead.

Santos pitched 4 Qe innings, giving up eight hits and three runs. He struck out four, walked two and threw two wild pitches.

Notes: The Pirates signed right-handed reliever Salomon Torres to a two-year contract extension.