The Associated Press The Pirates’ Tommy Pham celebrates as he stands on second base after driving in a run with a double in the seventh inning.

PITTSBURGH — Tommy Pham went 3 for 3 and drove in three runs, Spencer Horwitz and Bryan Reynolds also had three hits, and the Pittsburgh Pirates used a five-run fifth inning to beat the Texas Rangers 8-3 on Sunday and avoid a three-game sweep.

Pham tied it 2-all with a sacrifice fly in the fourth and capped the fifth-inning rally with an RBI double for a 7-2 advantage. He drove in Pittsburgh’s final run with a double in the seventh.

Horwitz went 3 for 4 with two doubles. He scored three runs and drove in two. Reynolds had a double and scored as the Pirates finished with 15 hits.

Texas starter Jack Leiter was lifted in favor of Caleb Boushley after walking Oneil Cruz to begin the fifth with the score tied at 2.

Cruz advanced to third on a groundout and Reynolds’ single. Nick Gonzales singled to give Pittsburgh the lead, and Horwitz hit a shot to right field that Adolis García misplayed into a two-run double that made it 5-2. Ke’Bryan Hayes added an RBI single before scoring on Pham’s double.

Bailey Falter walked two to begin the second and both scored on back-to-back RBI singles by Josh Smith and Josh Jung to put the Rangers up 2-0.

Hayes doubled in the Pirates’ first run after one-out singles by Joey Bart and Horwitz in the fourth.

Falter (6-3) pitched 5+ innings, allowing three runs on six hits and five walks.

Leiter (4-5) permitted three runs and five hits in four-plus innings. Boushley gave up five runs in four innings.

Key moment

Hayes saved two runs when he dove to his left at third base with runners on second and third to take away a hit from García for the final out in the third with the Pirates trailing 2-0.

Key stat

Cruz, in a 4-for-37 slump, used his speed to spark the Pirates. He was off and running for his 27th stolen base on a grounder by Andrew McCutchen. Cruz didn’t get the steal but he prevented a double play and later scored the go-ahead run.

Saturday’s game

Corey Seager singled in the tiebreaking run in the sixth inning and rookie Kumar Rocker won his second straight start and the Rangers beat the Pirates 3-2 on Saturday.

Seager’s sharp single to center field scored Josh Smith and put the Rangers ahead 2-1. Marcus Semien followed with a sacrifice fly.

Rocker (3-4) gave up two runs and five hits in 5+ innings after pitching five scoreless innings against the Chicago White Sox in his previous start last Sunday. The Rangers have won the first two games of the series and will try to finish the sweep on Sunday.

Mitch Keller (1-10) took his 10th consecutive loss, allowing three runs and three hits in 5ª innings. He was lifted after Semien’s sacrifice fly.

Keller hasn’t won since beating Miami on March 28 in his first start of the season.

Pittsburgh closed to 3-2 in the sixth on Henry Davis’ run-scoring grounder, but Texas held on. Shawn Armstrong, Hoby Milner and Chris Martin combined for 3ª scoreless innings of relief, with Martin getting the last three outs for his second save.

Keller’s losing streak is the longest by a Pirates pitcher since Jose DeLeon dropped 11 decisions in a row in 1985.

Up next

The Pirates will start Braxton Ashcraft for tonight’s series opener in Milwaukee against Brewers rookie RHP Chad Patrick (3-7, 3.50 ERA).