The Pirates turned Oracle Park into their personal batting practice facility Friday night, collecting 20 hits in a 13-3 demolition of the Giants that was never really close after the fifth inning.
Braxton Ashcraft anchored the victory with seven innings of one-run ball, allowing six hits while striking out six without issuing a walk. The right-hander improved to 2-2 with a 2.77 ERA, controlling the strike zone with 80 pitches and never allowing San Francisco to mount a serious threat.
Pittsburgh broke through in the fifth when Brandon Lowe's sacrifice fly scored Joey Bart, then Bryan Reynolds singled home Oneil Cruz for a 2-0 lead. The Giants answered immediately as Bryce Eldridge launched his first home run of the season, a 364-foot shot to right field that cut the deficit to 2-1.
The Pirates buried San Francisco with a devastating seventh inning that turned a close game into a rout. Spencer Horwitz doubled home Ryan O'Hearn, Konnor Griffin added a sacrifice fly, and Bart singled home another run before Lowe capped the frame with a two-run triple. O'Hearn's infield single made it 10-1, effectively ending any suspense.
Lowe finished 2-for-4 with four RBIs, while Bart went 4-for-5 with three runs scored. Reynolds reached 1,000 career hits in this game, collecting the milestone with his fifth-inning RBI single. Pittsburgh improved to 21-18 while San Francisco fell to 15-23.