PITTSBURGH (Ticker) -- Randall Simon hit a three-run homer in the first inning and Jeff Suppan and three relievers made it stand as the Pittsburgh Pirates avoided a sweep with a 3-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers in the finale of a three-game series.
Kenny Lofton led off the first with a single up the middle and Jason Kendall followed with a walk before Brian Giles grounded into a forceout. Ben Sheets retired Matt Stairs on a popout, but the free-swinging Simon followed by lifting a 1-2 pitch over the right field fence for his second home run of the season and a 3-1 lead.
"Simon had a good day. I don't know how he hit that home run," Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon said. "It looked to me like it was on the ground. He showed me he could hit the ball no matter where it's pitched. Over the course of 162 games, you've got to stay even-keeled."
Simon, whose former team, the Detroit Tigers, is the only winless club in the major leagues, is second on the Pirates with 10 RBI.
"I'm excited about playing here," Simon said. "It happens that I went down and got the ball. With those pitches and a two-strike count, I'm just trying to make contact on it."
"It wasn't even a mistake," Brewers manager Ned Yost said of the pitch Simon hit for a homer. "Sheets had shutout stuff. He was trying to get the curveball down. The ball Randall Simon hit was about six inches off the ground. You can't call that a mistake. Both pitchers had shutout stuff. A great pitchers' matchup. It was good to come in here and battle what we know is a strong team. We played a good three-game series, taking two out of the three."
Suppan (2-0) went 7 1/3 innings, allowing one run and seven hits with one walk and seven strikeouts. Scott Sauerbeck and Brian Boehringer each recorded an out before Mike Williams pitched a perfect ninth for his fourth save in as many chances.
Sheets (0-2) gave up seven hits, walked one and struck out one in his first complete game since last June 18, when he fired a seven-hitter in a 7-1 triumph over the Houston Astros.
Simon and Rob Mackowiak each had two hits for Pittsburgh, which has not been swept at home by Milwaukee since July 2-4, 1999.
Alex Sanchez led off the game with a single up the middle and one out later moved to second as Richie Sexson grounded out. Geoff Jenkins, who came off the disabled list Wednesday and hit a two-run homer to lift Milwaukee to a 3-2 win, delivered an RBI single to plate Sanchez for a 1-0 lead.
After allowing the single to Jenkins, Suppan fanned John Vander Wal on five pitches for the first of five consecutive strikeouts.
Suppan retired 12 straight batters before allowing a single to Royce Clayton in the fifth. He followed by striking out Sheets to end the inning before running into trouble in the sixth.
With one out in the sixth, Eric Young and Sexson had back-to-back singles. Suppan got Jenkins to hit a comebacker, but was only able to force Sexson at second. Vanderl Wal walked to load the bases, but Keith Ginter struck out after fouling off three straight 1-2 pitches.
Milwaukee also threatened in the eighth as Sanchez led off by reaching on an error by first baseman Kevin Young. After Eric Young flied out, Sexson singled to chase Suppan. Lefthander Sauerbeck came in and got Jenkins on a forceout before Boehringer retired pinch hitter Scott Podsednik on a popout.
