Pittsburgh Pirates beat Atlanta Braves 1-0

photo Pittsburgh Pirates' Andrew McCutchen (22) follows through on a solo-home run in the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves on Monday, Sept. 22, 2014, in Atlanta.

ATLANTA - Andrew McCutchen homered, Francisco Liriano won his fourth straight start and the Pittsburgh Pirates moved closer to a playoff berth by beating the Atlanta Braves 1-0 Monday night.

The Pirates, winners in 10 of their last 12, have a five-game lead over Milwaukee with six games remaining for both teams. Any combination of two Pittsburgh wins or Brewers losses will guarantee the Pirates at least a spot in the NL wild-card game for the second straight year.

The Pirates still have hopes of winning the NL Central, but they began the night 2½ games behind first-place St. Louis.

McCutchen, the 2013 NL MVP, hit his 24th homer in the sixth off starter Aaron Harang.

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Pittsburgh has played three consecutive 1-0 games, winning the past two.

Liriano (7-10) allowed three hits, walked four and struck out seven in six innings. He extended his consecutive scoreless streak to 28 innings.

Liriano has a 0.69 ERA over his last five starts and 39 innings. He left the game when Jose Tabata pinch-hit in the seventh.

Mark Melancon faced four batters in the ninth to earn his 32nd save in 36 chances.

Atlanta lost its fourth straight to drop to 4-15 in September, worst in the majors. The Braves were eliminated from playoff contention Sunday.

The team's struggles, combined with a bloated payroll and punchless offense, led to the firing of general manager Frank Wren earlier in the day.

Harang (11-12) allowed four hits and one run with two walks and seven strikeouts in seven innings.

Atlanta, dragged down again by a sluggish offense, fell to 8-53 when scoring two runs or less.

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