Giants 1 - 2 Pirates
Final
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Giants eye seventh straight win in Pittsburgh

May 6, 2014 - 2:58 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - Tim Hudson will try to lead the San Francisco Giants to their first seven-game winning streak since 2011 on Tuesday night in the middle contest of a three-game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Hudson has won back-to-back starts since suffering his first loss in a Giants uniform and was one out away from a complete game on Wednesday versus San Diego. He was pulled after giving up a solo homer in the ninth frame, but still got the 3-2 victory to improve to 4-1 with a 2.17 earned run average on the season.

The right-hander scattered five hits and did not walk a batter while striking out six. He has logged at least seven innings in all six of his starts with the Giants and has yielded two earned runs or fewer in five of those games.

"I was able to get down in the strike zone and stay down in the zone, work ahead in the count," Hudson said. "Guys were making some good plays behind me. It was a fun night for us."

The 38-year-old Hudson will make his 14th career start versus the Pirates and is 6-6 with a 3.40 ERA in this matchup.

The Giants overcame a six-run deficit to win Monday's opener, with Hunter Pence keying the offense. He scored the game-tying run in the ninth inning on Buster Posey's single, then crossed the plate for the winning run in the 13th frame on an error for an 11-10 triumph.

Pence, who had three hits and scored four runs, was on second when Jean Machi laid down a bunt on the third-base line. Pittsburgh reliever Jared Hughes fielded the ball cleanly, but short-hoped a throw to first that allowed Pence to race home.

That completed a rally that saw San Francisco come back from an 8-2 hole after five innings and win for the 10th time in 11 games.

"It's about playing hard. It's about competing and never giving up," Pence said. "That's the attitude we have here and we're going to continue to do that."

Another victory tonight would give the Giants their longest winning streak since taking eight in a row from Sept. 11-18, 2011.

Pedro Alvarez launched a three-run homer and drove in four runs, while Andrew McCutchen collected four hits and scored twice as the Pirates lost for the fifth time in seven games.

"We put some hits up on the board tonight, put some runs up on the board so that's pretty much all you can ask for," McCutchen said. "We just gotta show up tomorrow and try to do it again but just try to be on the winning side this time."

Pittsburgh will hope Charlie Morton can find the win column for the first time since Sept. 2 tonight.

The right-hander has lost four straight starts and is coming off his shortest outing of 2014, a 5-1 setback in Baltimore on Thursday in which Morton lasted just 5 1/3 frames. He was charged with four runs -- two earned -- on seven hits and two walks.

Morton fell to 0-4 with a 4.21 ERA in six starts this season, though the Pirates have scored two runs or fewer while he has been in the game in five of those outings.

The 30-year-old is 3-4 with a 2.86 ERA in nine career meetings with the Giants.

Pittsburgh went 4-3 against the Giants last season, although the teams were even in runs scored (36-36) for the season series.






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