PIT 9 – CLE 5: Alvarez caps off six game road trip with huge afternoon

The Pittsburgh Pirates 0-4 start to their six game road trip, ended with a bang as the Pirates took two of three from the Cleveland Indians, thanks to a huge weekend from Pedro Alvarez.

Driving in a career-high six runs with his second two-homer game in two days, Alvarez powered the 34-31 Pirates to a 9-5 victory over the Indians on Sunday afternoon.

Alvarez hit three-run homers in the fourth and fifth innings for his fourth career multihomer game. He also doubled going 3-4 in the game, for his first game of three extra-base hits.

In his last two games, Alvarez is 5-8 with 4 home runs and 9 RBI’s. Alvarez batting .207 on the season, now has a team-high 12 home runs on the season, which ranks 10th in the National League.

— Tony Watson (4-0), the second of five Pirates pitchers, worked 1 2/3 innings of relief to improve to 4-0 on the season as the Pirates have now won six of seven series. Brad Lincoln got the start and allowed 8 hits and 4 earned runs in just 3.1 innings pitched.

— Pittsburgh is off on Monday before they begin a six game homestand that starts Tuesday night against the last place Minnesota Twins (25-39).