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 2 1/2 games behind first-place St. Louis. McCutchen, the 2013 NL MVP, hit his 24th homer in the sixth off starter Aaron Harang. 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 teams struggles, combined with a bloated payroll and punchless offence, 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 offence, fell to 8-53 when scoring two runs or less. UP NEXT Pirates: RHP Gerrit Cole (10-5) has won three straight starts and seven of his last nine decisions. Braves: LHP Alex Wood (11-10) helped beat the Pirates in his only start against them on Aug. 19, but did not receive a decision. STINGY STAFF Pittsburghs starters have a streak of 23 consecutive scoreless innings. ... 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A top pitching prospect, one who the ball club is pinning some of its future hopes, takes the spot of a veteran who once was viewed as a future ace but who, to this point, hasnt realized his potential and may never.Phoenix, AZ (SportsNetwork.com) - Goran Dragic posted 20 points in the Phoenix Suns 106-98 win over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night. Isaiah Thomas had 18 points off the bench, Markieff Morris scored 16 and P.J. Tucker went for 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Suns, who snapped a two-game losing streak. P.J. (Tucker) doesnt get a lot of opportunities, but late in games he really gets tuned in, Suns coach Jeff Hornacek said. Marcin Gortat and Otto Porter each netted 14 points in the loss, while Kris Humphries tallied 11 points and 15 rebounds. The Wizards had their two-game winning streak halted. Washington, which overcame a 19-point first-half deficit in Tuesdays win over the Los Angeles Lakers, tried all it could to perform an encore against the Suns. Down 88-70 early in the fourth, the Wizards ripped off a 17-3 run to cut their deficit to four with under seven minutes left. The Suns weathered the surge by scoring the next eight points, but Washington had one last rush in them as Porters 3-pointer trimmed the deficit to 101-97 with 1:17 left. Dragic committed a turnover on Phoenixs ensuing possession,, but John Wall was off on a 3 and Morris made a clutch jumper at the other end with 23.dddddddddddd5 seconds left to seal it. First half, good defense. Second half, not so much, Hornacek added. Phoenix closed the final five-plus minutes of the first quarter on a 17-4 run. Marcus Morris and Thomas capped it with 3-pointers to give the Suns a 29-17 lead entering the second. An 11-0 run midway through the second stretched Phoenixs lead to 47-25 and it led by 17 at the break. Bradley Beal hit two 3s during an 11-2 run in the third that brought the Wizards to within five, 62-57. You can say they beat us up on the boards in the first half. They were denying us everywhere on the offensive end, Beal said. Eric Bledsoe followed with a three-point play that kicked off an 11-1 spurt for the Suns as they regained a double-digit lead. Game Notes The Suns have won three straight in the series ... Washington had a 22-9 edge in second-chance points ... Wall had 11 points, seven assists and seven rebounds in the loss ... Phoenix scored 21 points off 13 turnovers. ' ' '