While the Pittsburgh Pirates were busy making moves off the field on Wednesday, they kept rolling on the field.
The Pirates completed a three-game sweep of the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park, edging them 2-1 in 10 innings after an impressive pitching duel between Mike Burrows and Logan Webb. Pittsburgh came through in the top of the 10th on Henry Davis’ RBI groundout, allowing Isaac Mattson to close the door in the bottom of the frame with his second scoreless inning of the day.
With their eighth win in their last nine games, the Pirates clinched their second sweep since the All-Star Break and their first road sweep of the season, improving to 47-62. Their pitching was outstanding, allowing seven runs in the three games, while their offense did just enough to win.
Pittsburgh also made history, completing the Giants’ first winless homestand of at least six games since 1896.
Meanwhile, San Francisco is in full-fledged panic mode. The Giants have lost six straight games and 12 of their last 14, plummeting below .500 (54-55) for the first time this season. They’ve dropped eight consecutive home games as their offense has disappeared, scoring just 15 runs in those contests.
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No wonder San Francisco fans were booing on Wednesday.
The Giants have been the worst team in baseball since mid-June, right around the time they acquired Rafael Devers from the Boston Red Sox. Since June 14, they have the worst record in baseball (13-26) while scoring the second-fewest runs (143) in MLB.
San Francisco went from a playoff contender to a potential trade deadline seller in a matter of weeks. The Giants have been struggling for a while, but getting swept by the Pirates might be the final nail in their season’s coffin.
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