Rival watch- Pirates, Cardinals tied for NL Central lead, idle Reds 2.5 GB

Published Sep. 12, 2013 11:23 p.m. ET

foxsports

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Jeff Locke allowed three hits over seven innings to earn his first victory in nearly two months and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Chicago Cubs 3-1 on Thursday night.
Locke (10-5) struck out five and walked one to help the Pirates win their fourth straight to catch first-place St. Louis in the NL Central.
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Tyler Thornburg threw six solid innings and Sean Halton homered to lead the Milwaukee Brewers over St. Louis 5-3 on Thursday night, snapping the Cardinals' five-game winning streak.
St. Louis fell into a tie with Pittsburgh for the top spot in the NL Central. Both teams are 85-61 with 16 games remaining. The idle Cincinnati Reds are 2 back.