Red Sox vs Pirates final score: Pittsburgh wins 3-2, strengthens hold on wild card spot

The Pittsburgh Pirates are starting to put some distance between themselves and the Milwaukee Brewers for the second Wild Card spot in the National League. They continued their winning ways on Thursday night with a 3-2 victory at home over the Boston Red Sox.

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This game was not short on tension, with the pressure turned up on key at-bats and key moments. After carving out two runs in the early innings of this game, the Pirates got the decisive third run on a home run from young outfielder Starling Marte in the bottom of the fifth inning. That big delivery was consistent with a theme in this game where the Pirates’ franchise players came through when they needed to.

Young ace Gerrit Cole was on the mound. He did not disappoint, going seven innings with two earned runs allowed, zero walks, and seven strikeouts. His win didn’t come without help from his teammates, however. His bullpen came through in a big way to hold onto the lead, but before that, Andrew McCutchen made an outstanding leaping catch at the wall.

Cole’s appreciation for having McCutchen was noticeable.

The Pirates have come on strong with outstanding results in the second half of the 2014 season. With each game like this one, it feels more and more like there will be playoff baseball once again for the loyal fans of Pittsburgh.

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