PITTSBURGH (AP) — Braxton Ashcraft struck out 11 in six innings, Ryan O’Hearn and Nick Gonzales homered, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the skidding Minnesota Twins 9-3 on Sunday to complete a three-game sweep.
Ashcraft (5-2) allowed two runs and five hits with no walks, sending the Twins to their fifth straight defeat.
Brooks Lee had a two-run homer in the sixth and a solo shot in the ninth for Minnesota.
O’Hearn returned from the injured list and
hit a leadoff homer in the second his first time up. Jared Triolo singled in Oneil Cruz to make it 2-0.
Gonzales' two-run homer in the third extended the margin to 4-0.
Mike Paredes replaced Minnesota starter Zebby Matthews (1-3) with one out and runners on second and third in the fifth. Gonzales and Cruz drew back-to-back walks, the latter of which scored Brandon Lowe, and Henry Davis hit a two-run single that capped the Pirates' five-run inning and made it 9-0.
Matthews gave up seven runs and struck out seven in 4 1/3 innings.
Josh Bell had two hits for Minnesota.
Twins RHP Joe Ryan (3-3, 2.94 ERA) is scheduled to pitch Monday in the opener of a series against the Chicago White Sox, who hadn't announced a scheduled starter.
Pirates RHP Bubba Chandler (1-6, 4.85 ERA) takes the mound Tuesday against Astros RHP Mike Burrows (3-6, 5.40) to open a three-game set in Houston.
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