The Pittsburgh Pirates (12-8) defeated the Tampa Bay Rays (11-8) 5-1 on Friday night to win the opener of the three-game series. The win snapped the Rays winning streak at six games.
The Pirates got on the board in the second inning with a single run, before Junior Caminero drove in a run with a single in the top of the sixth. In the bottom of the sixth, Oniel Cruz broke the tie with a two-run homer and Pittsburgh never looked back. In the eighth former Ray Brandon Lowe gave Pittsburgh some insurance with a two-run double that made it 5-1.
The Rays will look to bounce back in the middle game of the three-game series on Saturday afternoon. First pitch on Saturday is scheduled for 4:05 PM - Chris Adams-Wall begins pregame coverage at 3:30 PM on 95.7 WDAE & AM 620.
COVER PHOTO COURTESY GETTY IMAGES