Turns out, the Pittsburgh Pirates' five-run fourth inning was enough. Trailing 3-0 to the Kansas City Royals (24-33) after three and a half innings at PNC Park on Saturday night, the Pirates (31-27) were able to grab five runs over the course of the inning, taking a 5-3 lead, which ended up being the final score as Pittsburgh grabbed its second win of the weekend series in front of an announced crowd of 39,312 -- the largest since opening. And thanks to that crazy inning, the Pirates trail the first-place Cincinnati Reds by just one game in the N.L. Central.
Starting pitcher James McDonald, who took the mound for Pittsburgh, lasted four innings, allowing three runs. Reliever Jared Hughes, instead, was credited with the win after tossing two and one-third scoreless innings. Joel Hanrahan came in later for the save.
The series finale is scheduled for Sunday at 1:35 p.m. EST. A.J. Burnett will take the hill for the Pirates.
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