MILWAUKEE -- With many of their top players on the disabled list, the Toronto Blue Jays have had to use a piecemeal approach to winning games the first two months of the season.

On Tuesday night, they got just enough of all facets of the game -- offense, pitching and defense -- to squeeze out a 4-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park.

Blue Jays right-hander Joe Biagini, making his fourth career start, went 4 1/3 innings and allowed three runs, five hits and three walks but left with a one-run lead thanks to a two-run homer from Kendrys Morales.

Toronto's bullpen preserved the advantage. Danny Barnes (1-2) got credit for the win -- the first of his career -- after throwing 1 1/2 scoreless innings.

Ryan Tepera stranded two runners in the seventh inning, Joe Smith tossed a shutout eighth, and Roberto Osuna worked around a two-out walk to Eric Sogard in the ninth for his seventh save.

"Barnes came in and struck out two of their top dogs," Toronto manager John Gibbons said. "(Tepera) got under a little pressure. In the past, that wouldn't have happened to him. He didn't have the confidence he has now.

"And I can't say enough about how good Smith has been. Left hand or right hand, it doesn't matter. The walk hurt in the ninth; you roll the lineup over and Villar has some pop, but we got a big out there."

Milwaukee starter Jimmy Nelson lost the pinpoint control that marked his previous three starts and allowed four runs, eight hits and a walk while striking out three in five innings.

Nelson (2-3) ran into trouble early, allowing two first-inning singles only to get bailed out when Morales chopped into a double play to end the inning.

But Nelson wasn't as lucky in the second. Three singles and a walk led to a 1-0 deficit, and Biagini made it 2-0 when he drove in a run on a fielder's choice.

"He did a great job working out of that inning in the second, only giving up two runs," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said.

Morales boosted that lead in the fifth, driving a 2-1 sinker off the batter's eye in center field for his eighth homer of the year.

"(It's a) totally different game if I could take one pitch back," Nelson said. "But you can’t do that in this game."

Biagini hadn't allowed a hit since the first inning but gave up three straight singles to open the bottom of the fifth, with Orlando Arcia's hit making it 4-1.

Jonathan Villar drove in two runs for the Brewers with a one-out single to right and then stole second. Eric Thames followed with a walk, bringing Biagini's day to a sudden end.

"He's been building himself up and he exceeded what he was going to do, but I thought he ran out of gas a little bit," Gibbons said. "I thought he was dynamite the first few innings. It wasn't like he was getting knocked around. They found the holes, but he'll get through that."

Barnes struck out Ryan Braun and Travis Shaw to end the threat.

"It feels good, especially after the last outing," Barnes said. "It felt good to bounce back.

"Everybody played well and we won a tight game. There's a lot of positives today."

NOTES: Brewers manager Craig Counsell said RHP Junior Guerra was "tentatively scheduled" to return from the disabled list Friday with a start against Arizona. Guerra has been sidelined since straining his right calf three innings into his Opening Day start against the Rockies. ... Brewers 1B Eric Thames was in Milwaukee's starting lineup but is still battling soreness in his legs. He went 1-for-2 with a walk and a hit-by-pitch. ... The Blue Jays expect to have SS Troy Tulowitzki (right hamstring) and 3B Josh Donaldson (right calf) back this weekend. Both are on a rehab assignment with Class A Dunedin. ... Toronto manager John Gibbons used the interleague series to tinker with his lineup, starting OF Jose Bautista at third for the first time since April 2013. "I thought he was great," Gibbons said. "He came up as an infielder." Bautista grabbed a ground ball from Manny Pina in the second that kick-started Toronto's only double play of the night. ... Blue Jays LHP Francisco Liriano threw a simulated game as he works his way back from a shoulder injury.