PITTSBURGH (93-7 The FAN) — Certain bats are hot in the Pittsburgh Pirates lineup.

Those bats remained hot Tuesday night, as the Pirates defeated the Minnesota Twins, 7-2.

Andrew McCutchen, Casey McGehee, Pedro Alvarez and Clint Barmes combined for nine hits. Josh Harrison added three more, and the Buccos cruised to victory.

McCutchen has been solid with his production all season. Alvarez and Barmes have struggled for the majority of the beginning of the season, but both are currently riding an offensive upswing, as is McGehee.

In turn, the Pirates have scored 25 runs in their last three games.

Harrison started off the scoring in the first inning with a solo home run to left field for a 1-0 Pittsburgh lead. McGehee pushed the lead to 2-0 in the fifth with a sac fly that scored Harrison.

Barmes drove in another run on a hit-and-run situation, doubling to right-center field and scoring Alvarez from first base. Matt Hague would later ground out and score Barmes for a 4-0 Pirates lead.

The Twins climbed back into the game in the top of the seventh inning when Denard Span hit a two-run home run over the Clemente Wall in right field. However, McCutchen answered right back in the bottom of the inning with a two-run shot of his own to push the lead to 6-2.

Rod Barajas hit a sac fly later in the inning for a 7-2 lead.

Pirates starter Kevin Correia pitched 5 1/3 innings, blanking Minnesota while allowing just four hits. Twins starter Scott Diamond wasn’t as fortunate, surrending four runs to the Pirates on eight hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Pittsburgh improves to 35-31 with the win and, coupled with a 3-2 Cincinnati loss at Cleveland, pulls to within 2.5 games of the NL Central leading Reds.

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