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CHC@PIT: Bedard hurls six scoreless frames

Wins at Miller Park have not been easy to come by for the Pirates since 2007. Duplicating Friday's 8-2 win against the Brewers would be a smart move as they try to take the series.

Since 2007, the Pirates are just 5-38 at Miller Park, and the Brewers hold a 58-21 (.734) record over their division mates, the best winning percentage against a division opponent during that time. Casey McGehee was part of those winning ways with Milwaukee from 2009-11, but is now with Pittsburgh.

"I don't know," McGehee said. "It's just one of those things, just like every hitter has their pitcher that, for whatever reason, they couldn't get a hit off of to save their life, and then there are those guys that everybody else struggles with that you see great. It's one of those phenomenon's in sports that just happens sometimes, for whatever reason. One team just seems to be playing well at the right time."

"We're looking forward to reversing that trend," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. "There were a lot of 2011 stuff on my to-do list -- this is still one of the ones remaining."

The Pirates will likely be sending the right pitcher to the mound for the start Saturday to go for the rare series win in Milwaukee, as Erik Bedard has never faced the Brewers before.

"There are a lot of new guys in this clubhouse, and some other young guys -- so we're going to have some memory loss with how things have gone here," Pirates second baseman Neil Walker said.

Pirates: Bucs hope Bedard delivers another win
• Bedard has rebounded nicely from a poor start to the season and the Pirates have won three of his last four starts. The left-hander is 3-5 with a 3.12 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 52 innings this season.

"An effective start from Erik, although a mixed bag," said Hurdle of Bedard's last start, a 10-4 win against the Cubs. "But when push came to shove, he made pitches. He got the outs he needed."

Brewers: Marcum looks to build off previous start
• Shaun Marcum gets the ball Saturday for the Brewers, coming off his third win of the season. Against the Dodgers on May 28, Marcum allowed just one run and struck out a season-high nine batters. Even though the Brewers are only 3-7 in his 10 starts this season, the right-hander has turned in seven quality starts.

Worth noting
• Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun left Friday's game in the eighth inning with a right hip strain. He has also been battling a stiff right Achilles.

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