Hurdle leans on bullish bullpen for 5 innings

MILWAUKEE — Before Tuesday’s game against the Brewers, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said the leash with his starting pitchers would be shorter as his team clings to slim postseason hopes. Hurdle executed that plan hours later, and it led to Pittsburgh’s 6-3 win at Miller Park.

With nobody out in the fifth and the power-hitting Chris Carter representing the potential tying run in a 5-2 game, Hurdle pulled starter Steven Brault. Reliever Jared Hughes induced a game-changing double play to lead the charge as five Pirates’ relievers combined to throw five scoreless frames to seal the victory.

“They’ve continued to take the ball and stay ready,” Hurdle said of his bullpen. “It’s a heavy workload.”

At 4 1/2 games off the pace for the National League’s second Wild Card spot and with a 0.4 percent chance of reaching the postseason entering the day, according to Fangraphs, Hurdle was not going to take any chances. Would it have been …

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