PITTSBURGH -- Call it what you want. Shutout by committee? A strong collective effort? There might not be a coined phrase, but Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell just knows that seven pitchers combining to hold an opponent to no runs is most likely to come late in the season after rosters are expanded.

"It's a nine-inning shutout using seven pitchers, which is probably only in September baseball," Counsell said Friday after the Brewers used seven arms and scratched out a run in the sixth to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 1-0 at PNC Park. "They did great. They all pitched tough innings."

Junior Guerra, Jacob Barnes, Blaine Boyer (2-3), Jhan Marinez, Carlos Torres, Corey Knebel and Tyler Thornburg led Milwaukee to its second win in a row following a six-game losing streak.

Pittsburgh has lost four in a row and was shut out for the second time in three games. The Pirates had seven hits but never got a runner as far as third safely.

Guerra, who came off of the disabled list (right elbow) to start the game, pitched 3 1/3 innings. He gave up five hits, walked two and struck out three.

"Most important, I was feeling good, feeling healthy," Guerra said through an interpreter.

"You've got to give the bullpen a lot of credit. They came in early in the game and they were able to keep the shutout. They did a great job."

Guerra handed over the reins in the fourth to Jacob Barnes with two on and one out. Barnes cleaned up with successive outs to end the inning.

"The Jacob Barnes inning, first and second, it might be the inning where they've got a chance to score, and he did a nice job," Counsell said.

Thornburg pitched the ninth for his seventh save.

Milwaukee, which had only three hits, scored in the sixth. Martin Maldonado led off and was hit by a Taillon pitch. He moved to second on a grounder, to third on a fly ball and scored on Scooter Gennett's double to deep center.

"It felt good," Gennett said. "Typically it's not a pitch I want to swing at, but fortunately enough I was able to get some good wood on it. It's getting a run across for our pitchers. They did such a good job. It's important to at least put one up."

The Brewers left the bases loaded in the ninth, when Juan Nicasio got Maldonado ground out.

Rookie right-hander Jameson Taillon (3-4) pitched six innings for Pittsburgh. He got pulled despite giving up one run and three hits, with no walks and four strikeouts. He threw 76 pitches, did not leave for a pinch-hitter and was due up in the seventh.

"I was told I was done, and that's when I'm done," Taillon said. "I know they have my best interest in mind. I know we're about to make a playoff push here.

"It was just a case I got through six and the bullpen was fresh coming off an off day."

The Pirates missed a strong chance to score in the eighth. Josh Harrison led off with a single and took off for second on Knebel's throwing error on a pickoff attempt. Harrison kept chugging toward third, but first baseman Hernan Perez played the ball well off of the wall in foul territory and threw out Harrison at third.

An out later, Andrew McCutchen -- who had three hits -- had a single that could have driven in Harrison from second.

"My read was the ball got by me and I got up and went," Harrison said. "Coming into second I knew there was a chance to go to third and picked up (third base coach Rick Sofeld) and we're both aggressive and come to find out the ball took a good hop. That's something you can't really predict, how the ball is going to be kicked up off the fence. In a split second, in the thick of things it looked like I was going to be safe, next thing I wasn't. Nothing you can really do. If I stop at second and the ball doesn't kick back to him, I could have been at third."

NOTES: Milwaukee reinstated RHP Junior Guerra (right elbow) from the disabled list. Guerra started against Pittsburgh. ... The Brewers also activated RHP Jacob Barnes (right elbow) from the DL. ... Milwaukee recalled RHP Ben Rowen from Triple-A Colorado Springs. ... Pittsburgh C Chris Stewart (left knee discomfort) was reinstated from the DL and recalled from a rehab assignment with Double-A Altoona. ... With September call-ups, the Pirates increased the number of players on their active roster to 30. Pittsburgh recalled RHP Jameson Taillon, INF Adam Frazier and LHP Steven Brault from rookie-level Bristol (procedural moves) and INF Jason Rogers from Triple-A Indianapolis. Taillon started against the Brewers.