The Pirates continued their hot streak with a 2-1 victory over the Brewers tonight, their eighth in a row and their 50th of the season. The Red Sox also started the day at 49 wins, but dropped their afternoon game against the Blue Jays. The Cardinals won, so the Pirates maintain their one-game lead in the NL Central.
Starter Francisco Liriano tossed six solid frames for the Buccos, allowing just one run on seven hits and a walk while striking out six. He lowered his ERA to 2.23 as he has turned out to be quite a solid pickup by GM Neal Huntington judging from the lefty’s first ten starts in Pittsburgh. Tony Watson, Mark Melancon, and Jason Grilli each pitched a perfect inning in relief. Grilli picked up his league-leading 27th save in the effort. The offense was provided by two solo home runs, by Pedro Alvarez in the second and by Garrett Jones in the fourth.
With a win today, Pirates could be first team to 50 wins in MLB. They havent done that since 1960 (h/t @EliasSports)
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 29, 2013
