PITTSBURGH (AP) - Brandon Crawford tied the game with an RBI single in the sixth and provided some breathing room with an RBI double in the ninth as the San Francisco Giants rallied past the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-5 on Saturday.
Wilmer Flores and Austin Slater homered for the Giants, who have won seven of eight and 13 of 19 to move to 10 games over .500 (37-27) for the first time this season.
Luis Gonzalez added two hits for San Francisco, including an RBI double in the eighth as the Giants pounced on a shaky performance by Pittsburgh's bullpen, which allowed four runs after starter Jose Quintana's exit with one out in the sixth.
Alex Wood (5-5) surrendered a three-run homer to Pittsburgh's Diego Castillo in the fourth but hung around long enough to win his second straight start. Wood allowed four runs on six hits with two walks and four strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings.
San Francisco reliever Jake McGee got Pittsburgh's Tyler Heineman to pop out to first with the bases loaded to end the eighth after a nine-pitch at-bat to preserve a one-run lead. Camilo Doval retired the Pirates in order for his 11th save and second in two days.
Quintana allowed three runs in 5 1/3 innings before being lifted for Wil Crowe (3-4) after striking out Gonzalez to start the sixth. Crowe allowed each of his first four batters to reach on two walks and two singles. Crawford's liner up the middle scored Thairo Estrada to pull San Francisco even, and pinch-hitter Mike Yaztremski followed with a sacrifice fly to put the Giants in front.
Stratton came on in the eighth and walked the first two batters he faced before giving up a shot to Gonzalez that scored Darin Ruf as the Giants clinched their first series win against the Pirates since 2017.
Ke'Bryan Hayes had two hits for Pittsburgh and Castillo drove in four runs - tied for the most by a Pirate this season - but it wasn't enough as their June swoon dropped them to a season-worst 14 games below .500 (25-39).
PEGUERO ARRIVES
Pittsburgh shortstop prospect Liover Peguero went 1 for 3 in his major league debut. At 21 years and 170 days old, Pegeuro - called up from Double-A Altoona on Friday after infielder Tucupita Maracana was placed on the COVID-19 injured list - became the youngest Pirate to reach the majors since Aramis Ramirez, who was 19 years and 335 days old at the time of his debut on May 26, 1998.
BAILEY TOSSED
San Francisco pitching coach Andrew Bailey was ejected in the fifth by first base umpire Jim Reynolds. It's the second time this season that a Giants coach has been tossed. First-base coach Antoan Richardson was ejected for arguing on April 12.
MERCEDES CLAIMED
The Giants claimed catcher/first baseman Yermin Mercedes off waivers from the Chicago White Sox and optioned him to Triple-A Sacramento. To make room for Mercedes on the 40-man roster, San Francisco designated catcher Michael Papierski for assignment.
The 27-year-old Mercedes hit .271 for the White Sox in 2021 but underwent hand surgery in March and has spent all of this season at Triple-A before being designated for assignment last weekend.
Papierski, acquired in a trade with Houston last month, went hitless in nine at-bats with the Giants.
UP NEXT
Giants: Alex Cobb (3-2, 5.73 ERA) returns from a stint on the injured list with a strained neck to make his ninth start of the season in Sunday's series finale.
Pirates: Mitch Keller (2-5, 5.07) is 0-2 in his career against the Giants. Keller has pitched well of late, posting a 2.76 ERA over his last three starts following a brief stint in the bullpen.
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