The Pirates have pulled to within one game of the NL Central lead with a 3-1 victory over the Giants on Tuesday night.
The Pirates (57-49) scored early for a second night in a row against Tim Hudson as they scored once in the first and twice in the second. Josh Harrison started things off with a lead-off home run to right . They got another big blast in the second from Travis Snider when he followed an Ike Davis single with a home run to right to extend the lead to 3-0.
From there, Hudson settled in retiring 18 of the final 20 batters he faced while not allowing another run.
The Giants (57-50) had a tougher time against Francisco Liriano. Liriano made only one mistake on the night, a Michael Morse lead-off home run to left in the second. From there, Liriano settled in retiring 21 of the final 24 batters he faced while only allowing two hits. He finished with 11 strikeouts over seven innings of work.
Tony Watson and Mark Melancon pitched scoreless innings to close things out.
Final Score: Pirates 3, Giants 1.
With the win, the Pirates moved into sole possession of second place in the NL Central and are only one game behind the Brewers for first place. They also moved into sole possession of the second NL Wild Card, only a half game behind the Braves for the first Wild Card spot.
Starters Lines
Liriano (W, 3-7): 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 11 K’s, 1 HR. 110 Pitches (68 Strikes).
Hudson (L, 8-8): 7 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K’s, 2 HR. 114 Pitches (73 Strikes).
The Pirates will look for the three-game sweep tomorrow afternoon.
Tomorrow’s Starters
(RHP) Charlie Morton (PIT): 5-10, 3.40 ERA
(RHP) Tim Lincecum (SF): 9-7, 3.96 ERA
First pitch is set for 3:45 EST.
Follow @TBerardi_OVA
(Photo Credit: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
