In a clash that showcased both power and pitching finesse, the San Francisco Giants edged out the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-2 on Friday night, with Rafael Devers providing the spark and Robbie Ray delivering a masterful performance on the mound.
Devers, the Giants' third baseman, crushed his fourth home run of the season in the bottom of the first inning, a solo shot off Pirates starter Carmen Mlodzinski that immediately erased Pittsburgh's early lead. The homer was a timely response to Marcell Ozuna's milestone blast—the 300th of his career—which had put the Pirates ahead 1-0 in the top of the second. For a Giants team that entered the game with the fewest home runs in the majors, Devers' swing was a breath of fresh air.
Ray, the left-handed veteran, battled through six gritty innings, allowing just that one run on four hits while striking out seven. His command wavered in the third when he walked three straight batters to load the bases with two outs, but he bore down to fan Oneil Cruz and escape the jam. It was the kind of resilience that defines a winning pitcher, and it paid off when the Giants took the lead for good in the fifth. Devers led off with a single and came around to score on a two-out base knock from Heliot Ramos, making it 2-1.
The Giants' bullpen then took over, with Keaton Winn tossing a perfect seventh and Matt Gage working a scoreless eighth. The offense added insurance in the seventh against reliever Justin Lawrence, who couldn't record an out. Willy Adames singled, Ramos doubled, and Drew Gilbert delivered an RBI single to stretch the lead to 3-1. After a hit batter loaded the bases, Luis Arraez greeted new pitcher Evan Sisk with a two-run single, pushing the score to 5-1.
Pittsburgh mounted a late rally in the ninth against Caleb Kilian, scoring one run and putting the tying run on base, but Kilian induced a groundout from pinch-hitter Ryan O'Hearn to seal the win.
Mlodzinski, who allowed two runs on seven hits over six innings, took the loss for the Pirates. The Giants, despite their offensive struggles this season, showed they can manufacture runs in multiple ways—a promising sign for fans looking for gear to rep their team's fighting spirit.
The series continues Saturday, with Pirates right-hander Braxton Ashcraft (1-2, 3.02 ERA) facing Giants righty Landen Roupp (5-2, 3.18).