09/09/26 10:43:00
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09/09 22:41 CDT Valdez homers and the Pirates use 8 pitchers in a 4-2 win over
the White Sox
Valdez homers and the Pirates use 8 pitchers in a 4-2 win over the White Sox
By MATT CARLSON
Associated Press
CHICAGO (AP) --- Rookie Esmerlyn Valdez hit a solo shot, rookie Konnor Griffin
singled in two runs in Pittsburgh's three-run seventh inning and the Pirates
held on to beat the Chicago White Sox 4-2 on Wednesday night for their third
straight victory.
Rafael Flores Jr. added an RBI single to help the Pirates win for the eighth
time in 10 games to climb back to .500.
Pittsburgh used eight pitchers to hand the White Sox a second straight loss and
their seventh in their last 10. AL Central-leading Chicago (75-70) maintained a
two-game lead over Cleveland, which lost at Baltimore.
The benches and bullpens emptied in the seventh, but order was quickly restored.
Yohan Ramirez, Pittsburgh's sixth pitcher, entered and got Miguel Vargas to
ground into an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded and the Pirates
head 4-1. Sam Antonacci elbowed Brandon Lowe at second as he came up from his
slide to set off the fracas.
Antonacci's RBI infield single had driven in Chicago's first run.
White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami hit his 31st homer in the eighth to cut it
to 4-2, but struck out in his first two times at the plate, running his streak
of strikeouts to eight straight plate appearances. Murakami was hit by a pitch
from Gregory Soto in his third time up.
The White Sox loaded the bases off Luke Weaver with one out in the eighth, but
Chase Meidroth lined to third for an inning-ending double-play.
Pirates opener Lake Bachar got the first five outs. Brandon Eisert (3-2)
followed with 2 1/3 innings of hitless ball, striking out five, for the win.
Carmen Mlodzinski, Soto, Camilo Doval, Ramirez and Weaver followed before Mason
Montgomery pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his 11th save
White Sox starter Davis Martin (9-7) allowed one run, on Valdez's 17th homer in
the fifth, and four hits in five innings in his second start since coming off
the injured list from a tight middle finger blister.
Up next
Pirates RHP Jared Jones (3-6, 4.46 ERA) was set to start against White Sox LHP
Hagen Smith (3-1, 0.56) on Thursday in the series finale.
___ See AP's full MLB coverage here
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