Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Braxton Ashcraft delivers against the Minnesota Twins in th first inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, May 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Tom E. Puskar)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Braxton Ashcraft struck out 11 in six innings, Ryan O’Hearn and Nick Gonzales homered, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the skidding Minnesota Twins 9-3 on Sunday to complete a three-game sweep.

Ashcraft (5-2) allowed two runs and five hits with no walks, sending the Twins to their fifth straight defeat.

Brooks Lee had a two-run homer in the sixth and a solo shot in the ninth for Minnesota.

O’Hearn returned from the injured list and hit a leadoff homer in the second his first time up. Jared Triolo singled in Oneil Cruz to make it 2-0.

Gonzales’ two-run homer in the third extended the margin to 4-0.

Mike Paredes replaced Minnesota starter Zebby Matthews (1-3) with one out and runners on second and third in the fifth. Gonzales and Cruz drew back-to-back walks, the latter of which scored Brandon Lowe, and Henry Davis hit a two-run single that capped the Pirates’ five-run inning and made it 9-0.

Matthews gave up seven runs and struck out seven in 4 1/3 innings.

Josh Bell had two hits for Minnesota.

Up next

Twins RHP Joe Ryan (3-3, 2.94 ERA) is scheduled to pitch Monday in the opener of a series against the Chicago White Sox, who hadn’t announced a scheduled starter.

Pirates RHP Bubba Chandler (1-6, 4.85 ERA) takes the mound Tuesday against Astros RHP Mike Burrows (3-6, 5.40) to open a three-game set in Houston.

SATURDAY

Pirates hold off Twins 10-9

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jake Mangum went 3 for 4 with his first homer of the season and a go-ahead RBI single after the Pirates blew a six-run lead as Pittsburgh held off the Minnesota Twins 10-9 on Saturday.

Mangum went deep against Bailey Ober (6-3) in the second inning for the fourth home run of his career. He later tagged Ober with a line drive single in the fifth that scored Konnor Griffin to help the Pirates steady themselves after the Twins erased a massive early deficit. Mangum also contributed defensively, going deep in the gap in left-center to rob Minnesota’s Orlando Arcia of extra bases in the ninth with the tying run on first.

Gregory Soto got the final four outs for his seventh save. Yohan Ramirez (3-2) earned the win in relief after starter Mitch Keller couldn’t hold an early 7-1 lead.

Oneil Cruz hit his 13th home run of the season and second in as many days as the Pirates won for the fifth time in seven games. Spencer Horwitz had two hits for Pittsburgh, including a leadoff homer in the bottom of the first.

Nick Gonzales had three hits for Pittsburgh, which handed former manager Derek Shelton a second consecutive loss in his return to PNC Park since being fired by the Pirates last May early into his sixth season with the club.

Kody Clemens had three of Minnesota’s 12 hits. Josh Bell drove in three runs for the Twins, who have lost five of six.

Ober’s three-game winning streak came to an abrupt end. The right-hander allowed a season-high eight runs (seven earned) on 12 hits. Ober has given up seven homers over his last three starts.

Pittsburgh second baseman Brandon Lowe was ejected for the first time in his nine-year career. The two-time All-Star, whose 14 homers lead the team, was tossed by first base umpire Jordan Baker after flying out to left in the fourth inning. Earlier in the at-bat, Lowe attempted to challenge a strike call, but it was not recognized by plate umpire Alex Tosi.