Pirates Hit 3 Home Runs To Back Nova In 10-5 Win Over Giants
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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - David Freese hit his 100th career home run, Elias Diaz and Josh Bell went deep on consecutive pitches and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the San Francisco Giants 10-5 on Thursday night.
Ivan Nova allowed two runs in six innings to continue a stellar stretch on the road for Pittsburgh's starters. Adam Frazier added three singles and two RBIs, his fourth multi-hit game in the last six.
The Pirates have won three straight overall and improved to 8-2 in their last 10 at AT&T Park.
Joe Panik and Steven Duggar drove in two runs apiece for San Francisco.
Freese singled and scored on Diaz's homer in the second then broke the game open with his milestone home run, a three-run blast off Mark Melancon in the seventh.
Diaz and Bell homered off starter Andrew Suarez (4-8) in the second.
Nova (7-6) lost to the Giants in May but was sharper this time. He retired the first 11 batters and didn't allow a hit until Austin Slater's leadoff single in the fifth. Nova yielded three hits and had three strikeouts.
Pirates starting pitchers have a 2.20 ERA over their last 10 road starts.
Rich Rodriguez, Dovydas Neverauskas and Casey Sadler completed the six-hitter.
Former Pittsburgh star Andrew Cutchen went hitless in four at-bats but made a pair of sparkling defensive plays against his former team.
A five-time All-Star and a Gold Glove winner for the Pirates as a center fielder in 2012, McCutchen threw out Frazier at second after he lined a ball into right leading off the game. In the sixth, McCutchen raced into the alley in right-center and made a diving grab to rob Diaz of extra bases.
Pittsburgh scored five unearned runs in the seventh after back-to-back errors by second baseman Panik and third baseman Evan Longoria.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Giants: RHP Jeff Samardzija (shoulder inflammation) threw 40 pitches in a bullpen session and will face hitters next week. . 1B Brandon Belt (hyperextended right knee) ran the bases and took batting practice. . Catcher Nick Hundley is being evaluated for a concussion.
UP NEXT
Giants LHP Derek Holland (5-8, 3.88 ERA) makes his second start against Pittsburgh this season on Friday night. Holland pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings to beat the Pirates on May 13. RHP Clay Holmes (1-1, 3.65) was called up from Triple-A Indianapolis and will start for Pittsburgh. Manager Clint Hurdle indicated the move was made to give the rest of the rotation an extra day of rest.
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