Alex Presley homered and belted a tie-breaking RBI double in the seventh inning to lift Pittsburgh over Milwaukee 9-8 at Miller Park Monday night. It was just the fourth win for the Pirates in their last 40 games at Milwaukee.

The NL Central champion Brewers remained a game ahead of Arizona, which fell to the Dodgers 4-2, for the second-best record in the league. If Milwaukee finishes ahead of the Diamondbacks it will host the first round of the playoffs.

Milwaukee had the potential tying run cut down at the plate on a groundout by Casey McGehee with one out in the ninth.

The Pirates led 7-3 in the top of the fifth, thanks in large part to a homer by Presley and three RBIs by Pedro Alvarez. But Milwaukee scored two in both the fourth and fifth innings and tied the game at 8 with three more in the fifth. Yuniesky Betancourt drew a bases-loaded walk to tie the game.

Presley, who finished with three hits and three RBIs, doubled in the seventh to score Mike McKenry with the go-ahead run.

Daniel McCutchen (5-3) picked up the win in relief and Joel Hanrahan survived a single and two wild pitches in the ninth to notch his 40th save. Takashi Saito (4-2) took the loss.

Neither starter fared well. Pittsburgh’s Charlie Morton surrendered five runs on eight hits in five innings but left with the lead. The Pirates knocked out Milwaukee starter Shaun Marcum early. He was charged with seven runs on 10 hits in 4 2/3 innings.