Oneil Cruz homers as surging Pirates, winners of 8 of last 10, beat Red Sox
BOSTON — Oneil Cruz homered, Bryan Reynolds drove in two runs, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Boston Red Sox 10-3 Saturday.
Tommy Pham and Nick Gonzales also drove in two runs apiece as Pittsburgh won for the eighth time in 10 games. Johan Oviedo (2-0) pitched five innings of two-run ball.
Pittsburgh also beat Boston 4-2 Friday night. The Pirates (61-76) are in last place in the National League Central, and the Red Sox (75-62) hold the second wild-card position in the American League.
Carlos Narváez hit his 12th homer for Boston, and Romy Gonzalez had two hits and two RBIs.
Red Sox right-hander Dustin May (7-11) permitted seven runs, six earned, and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings. It was his worst start since he was acquired in a July 31 trade with the Dodgers.
Cruz led off the sixth with a 426-foot drive into the Green Monster seats for his 19th homer, sparking a five-run inning. Gonzales hit a two-run single with two down, giving the Pirates a 9-2 lead.
In the fifth, the Pirates loaded the bases without a ball leaving the infield. That set the stage for Reynolds’ two-run single, a swing that lifted the Pirates to a 3-2 lead.
When Boston shortstop Trevor Story swiped second base in the fourth inning, he improved to 24 for 24 on stolen bases this season.
The teams wrap up a three-game series on Sunday. Mitch Keller (6-12, 4.35 ERA) pitches for Pittsburgh, and fellow right-hander Lucas Giolito (9-2, 3.47 ERA) goes for Boston.
