Darren Hauck, Associated Press Freddy Sanchez hits a two-run single against the Brewers in the eighth inning last night at Miller Park. Click photo for larger image. Today Matchup: Pirates (Maholm 3-9) vs. Brewers (Capuano 10-5), 2:05 p.m. Where: Miller Park, Milwaukee. Radio: KDKA-AM (1020) and Pirates Radio Network. Related articles Pirates Notebook: Castillo's defense on decline

MILWAUKEE -- Jeromy Burnitz last night gave himself a snapshot of how things used to be in his career.

The result was a picture-perfect win for the Pirates.

Burnitz capped a five-run eighth inning with a three-run home run -- his second homer of the game -- that lifted the Pirates past Milwaukee, 6-1, at Miller Park.

Ian Snell was the beneficiary of the late rally as he picked up his ninth victory.

Burnitz, struggling through most of what could be his final major-league season, hit both his home runs to the left of dead center field.

Has he ever done that?

"Maybe not," he said. "I can't remember. Heck, I have trouble remembering 10 minutes ago. But it was a good feeling -- hitting them to the opposite field or anywhere else."

Burnitz hadn't hit two home runs in a game since Aug. 29, 2005.

"When you haven't done it in a while, well, these days it's not something I expect," said Burnitz, who homered over the left-field wall leading off the second inning. "It's like, 'Wow! That was fun. I remember what that was like.' "

Nate McLouth began the decisive rally by rolling a single into left field. Jack Wilson, bunting on his own, rolled a ball to the right of the mound. Pitcher Dave Bush threw the ball past first base, and the Pirates wound up with runners on second and third and no outs.

Freddy Sanchez, batting .411 with runners in scoring position, bounced an 0-2 pitch through the middle for a two-run single.

"Huge," manager Jim Tracy said of that hit. "Another conscientious type of an at-bat where the player recognizes the situation and doesn't try to do too much."

After Jason Bay struck out, Sean Casey, hitting .383 in his past 23 games at Miller Park, lined a single to right. Then Burnitz sent his three-run shot over the left-center field wall.

"A great eighth inning," Tracy said. "Believe me, that's the type of hit that has eluded us all year long."

Snell, who allowed a leadoff home run to Prince Fielder in the fifth inning, was struck on the inside of his left foot by a Chris Barnwell smash two outs later, though he capitalized on the "skate save" to throw out Barnwell.

By the seventh inning, Snell's foot was throbbing, but he got through a stressful inning in great shape.

He yielded a leadoff walk to Geoff Jenkins. He retired Carlos Lee on a fly to left before Fielder lined a single to left.

"Jack told me, 'Those two stay right there. They don't score,' " Snell said. "That was encouragement."

Snell then snuffed the Brewers' threat by striking out Bill Hall on a 96-mph fastball and catching Damian Miller looking at an 89-mph slider for a third strike.

Ben Sheets, who hadn't pitched since May 2 because of tendinitis in his right shoulder, made a successful return to the Brewers' rotation. He pitched seven innings and retired the final 14 batters he faced.

As neat as the victory was, it made the Pirates only 14-22 against the National League Central Division, including 3-14 on the road.

Thus, they continue to make no progress toward becoming a force in their division, which would seem to be the first step toward becoming a contender.

In 2003, they were 39-45 against the Central. Had they been able to improve on that record, their situation might have been more pleasant by now.

However, they slipped to 37-52 in '04 and 30-50 last season.

"To get to the playoffs, you have to either win your division or win the wild card," Jack Wilson said. "If you look at the teams that go to the playoffs, most of the time they beat everybody in their division, so that's what you have to do.

"The division has gone down a little bit the last couple of years. It used to be the big three -- the Cardinals, Cubs and Astros. Now Milwaukee's getting up there and everybody else has kind of come down. It's more of a competitive division, but we haven't seemed to have been able to get out of the basement.

"I don't know what our deal is, to be honest with you. There are so many different things you can say. Younger guys are playing. We have a younger pitching staff. Blah, blah, blah. But those are the same old excuses. Obviously, there has to be a definite change this offseason because it's been the same thing every year."

Change?

"Whether it's players leaving or players coming in, trades being made, we've got to do something different to put a different product on the field because we haven't been getting it done.

"You look at this year and you say we want to finish strong. The younger players are going to get a lot of playing time and be able to show what they can do, so that's a positive.

"I've never been on a winning team. It's tough. It's the same thing every year. The thing is, the future's always bright. The future's always been bright with this team. We've always had good prospects and, you know, hopefully, they will have pretty good big-league careers. I'm a positive guy. I always look to that."