Pirates 7, Rangers 5
Clint Barmes homered and drove in two runs while Justin Morneau went 4-for-5 and scored twice as Pittsburgh completed a three-game sweep of host Texas.
A.J. Burnett (8-10) retired the first 13 hitters before being charged with five runs and six hits in 6 1/3 innings to help the Pirates remain one game behind first-place St. Louis in the National League Central. The Rangers have lost eight of 10 outings to fall three games behind Oakland in the American League West, but are 3 1/2 games clear in the wild card race.
Texas tried to battled back from a four-run deficit with David Murphy, Ian Kinsler and Elvis Andrus each delivering RBI singles in the seventh to pull within 6-5. Barmes homered off the left-field foul pole in the eighth and Kyle Farnsworth worked a perfect ninth for his first save since 2011.
Neil Walker had an RBI single off Texas starter Matt Garza (3-4) in the third and the Pirates pushed two more across in the fourth when Barmes drew a bases-loaded walk and Jose Tabata hit into a fielder’s choice.
The Rangers trailed 4-0 before A.J. Pierzynski hit a one-out double in the fifth for the first baserunner against Burnett. Andrus broke up the shutout with a two-run single in the sixth but Pittsburgh got the runs back in the seventh on Pedro Alvarez’s sacrifice fly and a wild pitch by Neal Cotts.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Pirates CF Andrew McCutchen was given the day off despite batting .469 over the last nine games. … Garza allowed three runs, five hits and four walks over four innings. … Alvarez’s homer drought stretched to 14 games and the sacrifice fly was just his third RBI during the power outage.