The Milwaukee Brewers kept pace in the push for the second playoff spot in the NL Central Friday night with a 9-5 win over Kansas City.

Manager Craig Counsell’s club fell behind 3-0 after the first inning and trailed 4-0 after three innings as the Royals got to starter Adrian Houser. He made it just four innings and saw his ERA rise to 5.33.

However, the offense came to life in the bottom of the fourth inning. Christian Yelich got things going with a solo home run, No. 150 in his career. The Royals walked in a run and then catcher Jacob Nottingham drilled the first grand slam of his career to give the Crew a 6-4 lead. Orlando Arcia followed that up with a 3-run shot in the fifth inning to blow the game open.

The Brewers had 14 hits with five different players having at least two, including Ryan Braun. He did that despite leaving the game early with back pain.

Milwaukee’s bullpen pitched well with six different guys seeing the mound. The lone blip on the radar was Josh Hader giving up a solo home run in the ninth inning.

With the win, the Brewers remained a game back of St. Louis and Cincinnati in the race for the second playoff spot in the division. Milwaukee has 10 games left in the season, while the Reds have eight games and the Cardinals have 12.

The Brewers and Royals will meet again Saturday night at Miller Park.