MILWAUKEE — There are several constants emerging for the Milwaukee Brewers as they try to avoid a September slide, and few are any good.

But at least the most glaring problem of late — losses, four of them in a row — came to a conclusion in the 11th inning when J.J. Hardy lashed a single off San Diego reliever Brian Falkenborg to score Craig Counsell from third base and deliver a 3-2 victory Friday night at Miller Park.

Still, at least three things are more apparent with each game.

• Turning the ball over to Eric Gagne in the eighth is dangerous simply because of his penchant for giving up home runs.

He did it Monday afternoon to take a loss to the New York Mets, and he did it again Friday night when Brian Giles' blast led to the extra frames. Gagne has given up more home runs (11) than he had saves (10) when he was the team's closer for the first two months of the season.

• A second problem is that as long as Prince Fielder isn't hitting — he has two hits in his last 16 at-bats and hasn't hit a home run in 19 games (74 at-bats) — he is hardly contributing with his glove.

He was charged with one error — his major league leading 15th of the season — in the ninth, and while it didn't lead to a run, it led to a jam for reliever Salomon Torres.

• But the most glaring problem is that the Brewers aren't the offensive powerhouse they are supposed to be.

Getting hits with runners in scoring position is a big issue. When the Brewers were successful in two of their first three attempts, it looked as if they might be able to break the spell. But they missed out on their next five opportunities before Hardy's hit.

"I definitely had my chances but I wasn't disappointed with my at-bats," Hardy said of the five hitless at-bats he had before the game winner.

Hardy had left runners stranded in scoring position in his at-bats in the fourth and ninth, when his first chance at a winner ended with a ground ball to short with pinch runner Tony Gwynn at third.

"I did what I was trying to do in the previous at-bats," he said of his winning single. "See the ball and hit it hard."

Lefty Brian Shouse picked up the victory with just one pitch that resulted in a double play that he started in relief of David Riske, who put runners on first and third after a one-out walk and single.

"We were playing the odds," manager Ned Yost said of playing his middle infielders back in double play position. It paid off when Chase Headley bounced one right back to Shouse, whose throw to Hardy at second started the twin killing.

"We were not conceding the run," Yost said. "We were looking for one pitch to get out of the inning."

Gagne's eighth took away from left-hander CC Sabathia, who left with his third no-decision in the 12 starts he's had for the Brewers. Yost said he didn't want Sabathia out for the eighth after having thrown 106 pitches, the 11th time Sabathia has cleared the century mark.

"We won the ballgame and that's the most important thing," Sabathia said. "All you try to do in September is win games."