MILWAUKEE - Ben Sheets pitched a five-hitter for his first win since July 4, leading the Milwaukee Brewers over the Washington Nationals 6-0 Saturday night.

Sheets (11-5) tied teammate CC Sabathia for the NL lead in complete games with four. He struck out six and helped extend the Nationals' scoreless streak to 22 innings.

Ray Durham and J.J. Hardy hit back-to-back homers off Washington starter Tim Redding (8-7) in the fourth for the Brewers, who moved four games behind the Cubs after Chicago lost 12-3 to St. Louis.

Corey Hart hit a solo shot in the fifth as Milwaukee won for the sixth time in eight games after losing five straight.

The only bad news for Milwaukee was the loss of All-star left-fielder Ryan Braun. He left the game in the bottom of the third because of tightness in his lower back. There was no further word on his status.

Sheets went a stretch of six starts before earning the victory, winning for the first time since the Brewers acquired Sabathia on July 7.

Sheets scattered three hits over the first seven innings then gave up two more in the eighth.

Ron Belliard, who singled leading off the third, led off the eighth with a hit. Willie Harris followed with a double to the wall but Sheets retired the next three batters.

Pinch-hitter Pete Orr's double over the head of left-fielder Gabe Kapler in the sixth and a single by Lastings Milledge in the seventh were Washington's other hits.

Sheets made it 6-0 with a run-scoring blooper into short-center field. Jason Kendall doubled and scored on Sheets' fifth RBI this season.

With the victory, the four-time All-star right-hander avoided losing three straight starts since dropping a career-worst five straight April 9-June 2, 2005.

Hardy hit his 17th homer of the season and second in two games, while Durham hit his first for the Brewers. Durham was acquired from San Francisco on July 20 for outfielder Darren Ford and left-hander Steve Hammond.

Kapler pinch-hit for Braun and drove in the Brewers' first run with an RBI single in the bottom of the third. Hart added a sacrifice fly.

Redding allowed five runs on seven hits over five innings. He walked five and struck out three, losing his bid for consecutive road victories for the first time since winning his first three road starts to open the season.

Brewers 6, Nationals 0
WASHINGTON . @. MILWAUKEE .. @.
ab r h bi . ....... .@ab r h bi
Bonfcio 2b 4 0 0 0 Drham 2b 4 2 2 1
CGzmn ss 4 0 0 0 Hardy ss 5 2 2 1
Zmrmn 3b 4 0 0 0 Braun lf 1 0 0 0
Kearns rf 4 0 0 0 Kapler lf 3 0 1 1
Mlldge cf 4 0 1 0 Fielder 1b 3 0 1 0
Flores c 3 0 0 0 Hart rf 3 1 1 2
Blliard 1b 3 0 2 0 Brnyan 3b 3 0 1 0
WHarrs lf 3 0 1 0 MCmrn cf 3 0 0 0
Rdding p 1 0 0 0 Kendall c 3 1 1 0
Orr ph 1 0 1 0 Sheets p 4 0 1 1
Shell p 0 0 0 0
Lngrhn ph 1 0 0 0
Ayala p 0 0 0 0
Totals ...@32.0.5.0 Totals ....@32.6 10.6
Washington ... ... .... 000 000 000--0
Milwaukee ... ... .....002 210 01x--6
DP--Washington 1. LOB--Washington 5, Milwaukee 8. 2B--WHarris (10), Orr (2), Durham (27), Kendall (22). HR--Durham (4), Hardy (17), Hart (17). SB--Belliard (3). CS--Durham (3). SF--Hart.
IP H R ER BB SO
..Washington ... ... ... ... ...@... ...
Redding L,8-7 5 7 5 5 5 3
Shell 2 1 0 0 0 2
Ayala 1 2 1 1 0 1
..Milwaukee ... ... ... ... ... @... ...
Sheets W,11-5 9 5 0 0 0 6
WP--Redding. PB--Flores.
Umpires--Home, Laz Diaz; First, Adrian Johnson; Second, Marty Foster; Third, Wally Bell.
T--2:18. A--42,974 (41,900).

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)