Field Level Media
Jul 25, 2021
Gregory Polanco and Kevin Newman drove in three runs apiece Saturday night as the Pittsburgh Pirates roughed up San Francisco Giants ace Kevin Gausman en route to a 10-2 victory over the National League West leaders.
Newman collected four hits while Ben Gamel contributed a double and two singles to a season-best 16-hit attack that propelled the Pirates to a second straight win in the three-game series.
Gausman (9-4), who began the day with the NL's best ERA, couldn't finish the fifth, charged with six runs on eight hits in 4 1/3 innings. He walked four and struck out two.
His ERA shot up from 1.84 to 2.21.
Gausman had allowed more than three runs just one previous time this season, that coming in a 7-6 win over Cincinnati in April, when he gave up five of the Reds' six runs.
Polanco had a sacrifice fly to open the game's scoring in the first, an RBI single to put Pittsburgh on top for good in the third and a home run to expedite Gausman's exit in a three-run fifth that produced a 6-1 lead.
The solo shot was Polanco's 11th homer of the season.
Newman drove in two runs with a single in the fifth and Michael Perez ignited a three-run eighth with an RBI triple for the Pirates, who scored in double figures for just the third time all season.
Polanco, Perez, Adam Frazier and Bryan Reynolds all had two hits each for Pittsburgh, which entered the series on a four-game losing streak.
Right-hander Wil Crowe (2-5) benefitted from the offensive support to win for the first time in his past four starts, striking out a career-best nine in 5 1/3 innings. He limited the Giants to two runs on four hits and one walk.
LaMonte Wade Jr. belted his 10th home run of the season, a solo shot in the sixth, for the Giants, whose two-game losing streak is their second since the All-Star break. They have gone just 4-5 since leading the majors in winning percentage in the first half.
Steven Duggar had a single and a double among San Francisco's five hits.
--Field Level Media