PITTSBURGH -- Amid a late-season collapse, the Pirates had won back-to-back games just once since the All-Star break, taking the finale against the Cubs on July 26 and the series opener versus the Diamondbacks on July 27. As Pittsburgh looked to build some momentum in mid-August, manager Don Kelly could’ve taken some notes from the fictionalized Lou Brown of the hit movie “Major League.”
“We won a game yesterday. If we win today, it's called 'two in a row.' And if we win again tomorrow, it's called a 'winning streak.' ... It has happened before!” Brown says.
The Pirates reached the two-in-a-row point with an 8-4 win over the Red Sox Friday at PNC Park to open a six-game homestand. Right-hander Bubba Chandler allowed two runs over five innings while striking out five and walking two.
The Pirates took the first lead in the same way they built a comfortable cushion Thursday in Miami: the unlocked power of Rafael Flores Jr. The 25-year-old homered in both the eighth and ninth innings against the Marlins. A little bit over 24 hours later, Flores Jr. walloped a second-inning pitch from Red Sox starter Jake Bennett into the right-field seats.
With an early lead, Chandler continued his dominance from his last start and cruised once again. He needed just 43 pitches to make it through the first three innings, allowing only a single to Masataka Yoshida the first time around the order and striking out three.
Pittsburgh tacked on three more runs in the fourth as three straight hits began the frame, including back-to-back doubles from Bryan Reynolds and Esmerlyn Valdez. Flores Jr. remained hot but stayed in the park, singling to left field to score Valdez and garner a 4-0 lead.
The Red Sox carved into the deficit with two runs in the fifth, bringing Chandler to 87 pitches and ending his night. For the first time since the Trade Deadline, it appeared Pittsburgh’s revamped bullpen earned a chance at protecting a close lead. But a Brandon Lowe three-run homer in the bottom of the frame created a five-run lead. The Red Sox threatened in the ninth, but Kirby Yates closed the door.