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 sport MLB’s worst record at 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 in 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.
Robert Jr. had three hits and Jimenez added two. The White Sox 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.