Bucs Take the Series from Giants at PNC

The Pirates bounced back Thursday afternoon at PNC Park, beating the Giants 5-to-2 to clinch the series, thanks to a stellar bullpen effort. Pittsburgh’s relief corps held San Francisco to just two hits over the final innings, backing a lineup that found five different ways to plate runs. Lake Bachar picked up the win in relief, and David Smith closed it out for his fourth save.

Braxton Ashcraft continues to anchor the rotation at a strong 3.59 ERA over 27 starts, with his next outing lined up at home against the Angels. The Pirates improve to 68-and-72 on the season as they continue to evaluate the roster down the stretch, having recently called up catcher Christian Bethancourt and selected reliever Brandon Eisert’s contract from Triple-A.