Brewers 9, Pirates 3: Mark Rogers won his third straight start and Aramis Ramirez homered and drove in four runs as host Milwaukee put a dent in Pittsburgh’s playoff plans.

Corey Hart added a two-run homer while Nyjer Morgan recorded three hits and scored twice for the Brewers, who have won nine of 11.

Garrett Jones hit a solo home run for the Pirates, who had a chance to pull into the second wild-card spot with the St. Louis Cardinals losing earlier in the night. Instead, Pittsburgh remains one-half game out.

Rogers (3-1) struck out five and walked one while allowing one run on five hits in 5 1/3 innings. The 26-year-old rookie has not completed six innings in any of his last three turns but has surrendered a total of just four runs in that span while averaging better than a strikeout per inning.

Milwaukee got Rogers and the bullpen all the support they needed in the first inning against Pittsburgh starter Jeff Karstens (5-4). Morgan led off with a double and Rickie Weeks followed with a single. Karstens struck out Ryan Braun, but Ramirez plated two with a single and Hart slammed a breaking ball into the Brewers’ bullpen in left-center.

Jonathan Lucroy followed with a single before Karstens was lifted with a right hip flexor strain. The right-hander, who already was pitching through a left groin strain, was charged with four runs and five hits while retiring just one batter.

Milwaukee added a run in the second and exploded for four more in the eighth to put away the game. Ramirez’s two-run homer to center highlighted the late rally.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Brewers unveiled a statue of longtime broadcaster Bob Uecker before the game. … Milwaukee RF Norichika Aoki (neck) was scratched from the lineup. He was hurt in an outfield collision with Morgan on Thursday. … The Brewers apparently were not able to find takers for RHPs Shaun Marcum and Francisco Rodriguez, who were considered candidates to be moved before midnight Friday. … The Pirates recalled OF Alex Presley and RHP Kyle McPherson before the game. Presley drove in two runs and McPherson was the first one out of the bullpen in relief of Karstens, yielding one run in 1 2/3 innings.