Nothing separated the teams through six innings. Then Pittsburgh took over. The Pirates scored five runs over the final three frames to turn a tied game into a comfortable 6-1 victory over the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on Thursday, handing Philadelphia its first loss after a win.
Esmerlyn Valdez was the engine of the Pittsburgh offense, going 2-for-4 with a triple and 3 RBI. He drove in the go-ahead run in the seventh with a triple to center that scored Brandon Lowe, then added another RBI on a sacrifice fly in the eighth that brought Jake Mangum home. Nick Gonzales provided the finishing touches, going 3-for-5 with a homer and 2 RBI. He singled to center in the seventh to score Valdez, then capped the night with a solo home run to left center in the ninth. Mangum reached base three times and scored twice, finishing 3-for-5 with a double. Endy Rodriguez added a solo home run to center in the eighth, a 395-foot shot that pushed the lead to 4-1.
Philadelphia grabbed the early advantage in the third when Bryce Harper doubled to left, scoring Marchán to make it 1-0. That lead held until the fifth, when Valdez singled to center to bring Mangum home and tie the game at 1-1. The Pirates then took the lead for good in the seventh. Valdez's triple to center scored Lowe to put Pittsburgh ahead 2-1, and Gonzales followed with a single to center that scored Valdez and stretched the margin to 3-1. Two more runs in the eighth — Rodriguez's homer and Valdez's sacrifice fly — and Gonzales's solo shot in the ninth completed the scoring.
Carmen Mlodzinski earned the win, pitching 3 innings and allowing 0 runs on 2 hits with no walks and no strikeouts, improving to 5-3 with a 3.45 ERA. Jose Alvarado took the loss, allowing 2 runs on 3 hits over 1 inning, falling to 3-3 with a 6.10 ERA. Alan Rangel, Philadelphia's starter, worked 4 innings and held Pittsburgh scoreless on 3 hits while striking out 4, but the bullpen could not hold the 1-0 lead.
Pittsburgh moved to 43-43 with the victory. Philadelphia, despite the loss, remains at 48-38 and holds second place in the division.