Duo shine as Pirates beat Giants, stop 4-game skid
SAN FRANCISCO: Bryan Reynolds homered, Adam Frazier drew a bases-loaded walk to force in the go-ahead run in the seventh inning when Pitsburgh scored three times without a hit, and the Pirates beat the San Francisco Giants 6-4 on Friday night.
Gregory Polanco added an RBI triple for Pitsburgh, which snapped a four-game skid.
“You don’t score three runs very oten without a hit. It’s a testament to our group,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “We had given up two runs, given up the lead and they came right back. These guys get ater it. They made something happen without geting a hit and we ended up winning.”
It was 3-all when Dominic Leone (2-1) walked Jacob Stallings leading off the seventh and Kevin Newman reached on a fielder’s choice when shortstop Thairo Estrada’s throw to second was late.
Ater pinch-hiter Wilmer Difo walked, Frazier worked a 2-2 count before Leone threw consecutive pitches well out of the strike zone to force in Stallings.
The Pirates added a pair of unearned runs later in the inning when first baseman Lamonte Wade Jr. fumbled Ben Gamel’s two-out grounder while trying to throw the ball to pitcher Jarlin García covering the bag.
“Just trying to score runs any way you can, that’s the name of the game,” said Reynolds, who struck out before Wade’s costly error. “Doesn’t mater ultimately if you score it on a homer or something crazy happens.”
Chris Straton (3-0) retired two baters. Richard Rodríguez pitched the ninth for his 14th save.
Steven Duggar and Alex Dickerson homered for San Francisco. Buster Posey doubled twice.
“I don’t think we played our best game from any angle,” Giants manager Gabe Kapler said.
Polanco tripled to give the Pirates an early lead. Reynolds made it 3-0 with his home run off starter Johnny Cueto in the third ater Ke’bryan Hayes’ two-out single. Cueto struck out seven and allowed three runs and three hits in 5 innings. The right-hander, who has 21 career wins against the Pirates and is 10-0 with a 1.78 ERA over his last 15 starts against them dating to 2012, was in line for the loss before Dickerson’s tying two-run homer in the sixth.