Joey Bart cracked a go-ahead three-run home run, Bryan Reynolds also homered and Ke'Bryan Hayes had three hits as the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates swept the Chicago White Sox 9-4 on Sunday.
The Pirates secured a series sweep for the first time since winning the first four games of the season in Miami. At 48-48, the Pirates reached the .500 mark for the first time since April 27.
The reeling White Sox absorbed their 13th sweep. Chicago has lost seven of eight entering the All-Star break, including four in a row. The White Sox are a major league-worst 27-71.
Oneil Cruz, Joshua Palacios and Reynolds each had two hits and an RBI for Pittsburgh. Quinn Priester (2-5) picked up the victory with two innings of one-run relief.
Eloy Jimenez grounded into a double play in the bottom of the first inning to give the White Sox a 1-0 lead.
Resigned to a bullpen game in the final contest of the first half, Chicago stayed afloat in the early innings despite an early injury to right-hander Michael Soroka.
Soroka got the final out of the second but left with right shoulder soreness after throwing a ball to open the third, just his third pitch of the afternoon.
Chad Kuhl followed opener Jared Shuster and Soroka with four innings of four-run, six-hit ball in his third relief outing of at least four innings since joining the team in mid-June. Kuhl walked two, hit a batter and struck out four while falling to 0-1.
Cruz tied the game at 1 with a third-inning double. Chicago's Andrew Benintendi responded with a solo homer in the bottom half, one of his three hits, before the Pirates answered again.
Kuhl retired the first batter of the Pittsburgh fourth but a single and walk brought up Bart, who lined a three-run shot to left-center for a 4-2 lead.
The Pirates added four runs in the seventh, including a two-run triple from Nick Gonzales on a misplayed fly ball.
Luis Robert Jr. had three hits and Jimenez added two for the White Sox. Chicago stranded 10 runners and went 2-for-11 with men in scoring position.
Pittsburgh starter Mitch Keller allowed two runs and four hits in three innings.
--Field Level Media
Pittsburgh | Chi. White Sox | |
Mitch Keller | Player | Jared Shuster |
No Decision | W/L | No Decision |
3.0 | IP | 1.2 |
3 | Strikeouts | 0 |
4 | Hits | 1 |
6.00 | ERA | 0.00 |
Pittsburgh | Chi. White Sox | |
Ke'Bryan Hayes | Player | Luis Robert Jr. |
3 | Hits | 3 |
0 | RBI | 0 |
0 | HR | 0 |
4 | TB | 3 |
.600 | Avg | 1.000 |
Team | Hits | HR | TB | Avg | LOB | K | RBI | BB | SB | Errors |
Pittsburgh | 12 | 2 | 24 | .333 | 15 | 6 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
Chi. White Sox | 10 | 1 | 13 | .286 | 19 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 |