Rafael Devers homers to power Giants past Pirates

Robbie Ray threw six effective innings, Luis Arraez broke open a close game with a two-run single in the seventh and the San Francisco Giants opened a three-game home series against the Pittsburgh Pirates with a 5-2 victory Friday night.

Rafael Devers homered, singled and scored twice for the Giants, who had lost eight of their previous nine games.

After Devers and Pittsburgh’s Marcell Ozuna traded solo homers in the early going, San Francisco took the lead for good against Pirates starter Carmen Mlodzinski (2-3) in the fourth on a two-out RBI single by Heliot Ramos.

The homers were the fourth of the season for both Devers and Ozuna.

The score remained 2-1 until Drew Gilbert drove in Willy Adames with a single in the seventh. Three batters later, Arraez stroked his single to right, sending Gilbert and Ramos home to complete San Francisco’s scoring.

Ray (3-4) left a 2-1 game after throwing 93 pitches in his six innings. He gave up four hits and four walks while striking out seven in ending a personal three-game losing streak.

After Keaton Winn and Matt Gage threw a hitless inning apiece, the Pirates made things interesting against Caleb Kilian in the ninth.

Pittsburgh got within 5-2 on a one-out, RBI single by pinch-hitter Spencer Horwitz, before Kilian got Brandon Lowe to pop up and pinch-hitter Ryan O’Hearn to ground to third when both represented the potential tying run.

In losing for the third time in his last four starts, Mlodzinski allowed just two runs and seven hits in his six innings. He struck out one and didn’t walk anyone.

Adames, Ramos and Jung Hoo Lee joined Devers with two hits apiece for the Giants, whose 12 hits were the team’s most since 13 in a 10-inning loss at Philadelphia last Thursday.

Ozuna added a single to his home run for the Pirates, who totaled just five hits. The loss was just Pittsburgh’s second in its last seven games.

The homers by Devers and Ozuna, and a double by Ramos, were the only extra-base hits of the contest.

–Field Level Media