SAN FRANCISCO — Through a long, losing season, the Pittsburgh Pirates have learned to celebrate each other for even the small accomplishments and try to push forward from the times of turmoil — like this week’s embarrassing clubhouse fight between a pair of relief pitchers.
Felipe Vazquez earned his 27th save two days after punching Kyle Crick in the clubhouse as the Pirates beat the San Francisco Giants, 6-3, on Wednesday night. The Pirates got a welcome lift after Crick required season-ending finger surgery Tuesday, the result of the scrap with Vazquez before Monday’s win, which prompted a team meeting.
Since an injury-plagued month of May for manager Clint Hurdle’s club, there have been so many other issues.
“There’s been some more miles on the tires since then,” Hurdle said before the game, when Pittsburgh went through extra defensive skill work.
Cole Tucker hit an RBI double for a key insurance run in the sixth, and Jose Osuna added a pair of doubles.
Tucker’s double marked the Pirates’ MLB-best 50th pinch-hit RBI. Those are the kinds of things Hurdle appreciates right now.
A night earlier, the Pirates lost 5-4 after taking the series opener in comeback fashion Monday, 6-4.
“My encouragement was there’s winning and there’s losing, and there’s winning and learning,” Hurdle said. “If you’re losing and not learning, you’re wasting your time up here. You’ll get run out of this game. So there’s lessons to be learned, and I think we’ve been able to have solid reviews when things haven’t gone our way.”
Jaylin Davis singled home a run, Corban Joseph had an RBI groundout and Mauricio Dubon drew a bases-loaded walk as the Giants got on the board in the fifth against starter Dario Agrazal before winner Michael Feliz (3-4) took over.
“Between walks, errors, we gave up some cheap runs and it came back to haunt us,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “Offensively, we didn’t do much.”
Adam Frazier and Kevin Kramer hit RBI singles in the second for the Pirates, who are 13-6 over their last 19 in San Francisco. Giants righty Logan Webb (1-2), making his fifth major league start, threw a pair of wild pitches that inning and was done after 4 2/3.
Stephen Vogt started a second straight day at catcher for San Francisco after hitting a two-run homer and driving in four runs in Tuesday’s 5-4 win. Bochy had planned to start Buster Posey on Wednesday or Thursday, so he will be behind the plate Thursday afternoon.
Pirates rookie Kevin Newman extended his road hitting streak to 17 games.
