PIRATES 3 – GIANTS 1
Win: Franciso Liriano (3-7)
Loss: Tim Hudson (8-8)
Save Mark Melancon (20)
POST-GAME STORYLINES
  • Josh Harrison hit a lead off homer in the first inning, his third straight game with a home run. Harrison took a 3-2 sinker from Tim Hudson deep to right and the Pirates never gave up the lead. Harrison went 1-3 with a home run, BB in the win. He is 7-12 with 3 home runs, 4 RBI in his last three games.
  • A developing story for the Pirates is 2013 Francisco Liriano looks back. Liriano went seven innings, allowing 4 hits and 1 run, nabbing his third win of the season. Liriano struck out 11 and walked just 1 batter.  What has been a continued trend for Liriano is he has his slider going and the stuff is starting to resemble last season. He’s getting guys to chase out of the strike zone and that’s when he’s at his best. Liriano is now 2-0 with a 0.95 ERA in three starts since the All-Star break.
  • Clint Hurdle on Liriano: “I thought it was his best outing. The fastball played so well and the slider was really sharp……Real good form tonight.”
  • Travis Snider got the start in left field and hit a two-run homer in the second inning off Tim Hudson, his seventh of the season. Snider has now homered in his last three games (7/29, 7/27, 7/23).
  • The Pirates (57-49) moved one game out of first place as the Brewers (59-49) lost in Tampa Bay.
SURPRISE TEAM IN ON LESTER
Jon Lester has been scratched from Wednesday’s start and the Red Sox are set to trade him between now and Thursday’s 4:00 p.m. deadline. The Pirates for one are trying to get a deal done by Wednesday evening, so Lester can be with the team in Arizona on Thursday.
However, the Pirates are not willing to move top prospect Josh Bell under any circumstance and are trying to sell the Red Sox on a deal centered around Alen Hanson.
Pittsburgh has also continued to kick the tires on Tampa Bay’s David Price. Tampa Bay has been tracking the Pirates farm system heavily this week.
The growing sense inside the industry is Lester will be traded Los Angeles or St. Louis, with Pittsburgh having an outside shot of landing Lester, though, a few AL teams remain in the mix, including a World Series favorite.

The Oakland A’s who already made their big trade acquiring Jeff Samardzija, are in the hunt for Lester, according to reports out of Boston and later confirmed by Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports.
Gordon Edes of ESPN reports the Orioles, Blue Jays are also among the six teams still in the mix, though, it’s considered unlikely Lester gets moved to either team.