Pirates 8, Astros 1: A.J. Burnett recorded a season-high 11 strikeouts and visiting Pittsburgh racked up 18 hits to down Houston and snap a five-game losing streak.

Josh Harrison had four hits and five other Pirates notched two apiece as Pittsburgh salvaged the final contest of the three-game set to win for only the third time in its last 16 games. The Pirates (75-77) are trying to avoid their 20th consecutive losing campaign.

Burnett (16-8) allowed one run, four hits and walked one to snap a personal four-game losing streak. Scott Moore had three of Houston’s hits against Burnett.

The game was scoreless until the fourth, when Pittsburgh pushed across four runs against Jordan Lyles (4-12) on a hit batsman, a wild pitch and run-scoring singles by Clint Barmes and Rod Barajas. Andrew McCutchen smacked an RBI double in the sixth to make it 5-0.

Moore homered in the sixth for Houston, and the Pirates put away the game with three runs in the eighth. Pedro Alvarez, Jose Tabata and Burnett all had run-scoring singles during the frame.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Burnett has won more games just once in his career – when he went 18-10 for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2008. … Houston has swept just two opponents all season. … McCutchen went 2-for-5 to raise his season hit count to 188. The last Pittsburgh player to record 200 or more hits in a season was Freddy Sanchez, who had an even 200 while winning the 2006 National League batting title.