Cruz homers as surging Pirates beat Red Sox

BOSTON (AP) — Oneil Cruz homered, Bryan Reynolds drove in two runs and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Boston Red Sox 10-3 on 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 on Friday night. The Pirates (61-76) are in last place in the NL Central, and the Red Sox (75-62) hold the second wild-card position in the AL.

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.

Key moment

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.

Key stat

When Boston shortstop Trevor Story swiped second base in the fourth inning, he improved to 24 for 24 on stolen bases this season.

Up next

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.

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