Pirates collect 20 hits as Braxton Ashcraft dominates Giants

Braxton Ashcraft threw seven innings of one-run ball, batterymate Joey Bart matched his career high with four hits and the Pittsburgh Pirates used a 20-hit assault to roll past the host San Francisco Giants 13-3 on Saturday night.

Nick Gonzales also collected four hits and Brandon Lowe had four RBIs for the Pirates, who won for the sixth time in their last eight games.

Giants starter Landen Roupp (5-3) matched zeroes with Ashcraft for four innings before Bart led off the fifth with an infield single on the right-hander’s 94th pitch, prompting San Francisco manager Tony Vitello to go to his bullpen.

After a single and steal by Oneil Cruz, the Pirates went ahead 1-0 on Lowe’s sacrifice fly and then 2-0 on an RBI single by Bryan Reynolds.

Bryce Eldridge launched his first career home run to get the Giants on the board in the last of the inning, before Pittsburgh seized control with a two-run sixth and blew the game open with a six-run seventh.

Konnor Griffin and Bart had RBI singles in the sixth, before Lowe lashed the big hit of the seventh — a two-run triple.

Bart made it a four-hit day when his leadoff single off Christian Koss, normally an infielder, triggered a three-run ninth.

Ashcraft (2-2) limited the Giants to six hits in his seven innings. He struck out six without walking a batter.

Bart, who played his first four seasons with the Giants, matched the four hits he’d recorded twice last year for the Pirates. He had three hits five times as a Giant.

The catcher scored three times and drove in two runs.

Cruz also scored three times and had three hits, while Lowe and Spencer Horwitz scored twice apiece. Lowe and Ryan O’Hearn had two hits each in the season-best 20-hit attack.

Heliot Ramos had a pair of singles for the Giants, who won the series opener 5-2 on Friday night. San Francisco has lost nine of its last 11 games.

The Giants completed the game’s scoring with two in the last of the ninth on a bases-loaded walk to Drew Gilbert and an RBI single by Eric Haase.

–Field Level Media