Giants unable to carry momentum home, lose to Pirates originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
The Giants were riding high after a thrilling and successful series against the Dodgers in Los Angeles, but the Pittsburgh Pirates brought the best team in MLB back down to earth Friday.
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In the opener of a three-game series at Oracle Park, the Giants lost 6-4 to the NL Central-worst Pirates.
Johnny Cueto pitched well, giving up three earned runs in five innings. He allowed just three hits, walked one batter and struck out seven.
With the Giants down 3-1 in the sixth inning, Alex Dickerson gave his team new life with a two-run homer off the top of the arcade in right field. At that point, it seemed like the Giants would recover and go on to beat the Pirates.
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But LaMonte Wade Jr., who played a big part in the Giants' wins over the Dodgers earlier this week, cost San Francisco a couple runs with an error in the seventh inning.
Cueto did steal his first career base, and Steven Duggar homered into McCovey Cove, setting off an epic kayak battle for the ball, but the Giants needed a little bit more against the Pirates on Friday.
The Giants mounted another ninth-inning rally on this night, but unlike the previous two nights when they stunned the Dodgers, San Francisco only managed to score one run in the final frame against the Pirates. Mike Yastrzemski, batting as the potential tying run, struck out looking to end the game.
