Twins vs Pirates Recap: Brooks Lee's 2 HR Carry Pirates Dominate

You're watching a rematch at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. The Twins came in after losing 9-10 the night before, struggling hard. They're 27-33 on the season and hungry for a win. The Pirates? They're rolling at 32-28 and riding a three-game winning streak. Zebby Matthews took the mound for Minnesota and immediately got rocked. In the second inning, Ryan O'Hearn crushed a 93-mph fastball over the right-field wall. The crowd erupted. Then Jared Triolo singled, and Oneil Cruz scored to make it 0-2. The next inning got worse. Nick Gonzales launched a slider 407 feet to center field—a two-run blast that put Pittsburgh up 0-4. Minnesota's pitching staff couldn't find the strike zone early. The Pirates were hunting fastballs and crushing them into the night.

The damage kept piling up for Minnesota in the fifth inning. Brandon Lowe singled to right, and Spencer Horwitz scored. Then Michael Paredes entered the game for the Twins. On four straight fastballs, he walked Oneil Cruz—and Lowe raced home. The bases were loaded with two outs. Jake Mangum stepped up and hit a sacrifice fly that sent Bryan Reynolds across the plate. The score ballooned to 0-7. Henry Davis wasn't done. He smoked a single to left field, and both Cruz and Gonzales scored. Just like that, it was 0-9. Minneapolis was getting buried. Brooks Lee finally gave the Twins some hope in the sixth. He crushed a 97-mph fastball from Braxton Ashcraft for a two-run homer to right. The ball soared 358 feet. Minnesota pulled closer at 2-9, but the Pirates had already built too big a wall.

Brooks Lee wasn't giving up, even down by seven. In the ninth inning, he stepped up against Pirates reliever Brandan Bidois. Lee swung hard at a 94-mph fastball and sent it rocketing toward right field. The ball traveled 393 feet before clearing the wall for his second home run of the night. Now it was 3-9. Minnesota had made it a bit closer, but there was no time left. The Pirates held firm. Braxton Ashcraft earned the win after pitching six strong innings with 11 strikeouts and no walks. It was a complete shutout of the Twins' offense except for Lee's two solo blasts. Pittsburgh's pitching staff came through. The final score: Pittsburgh 9, Minnesota 3. The Pirates improved to 32-28. The Twins fell to 27-33. Minnesota's losing streak grew. Pittsburgh kept climbing toward a playoff spot.