Pittsburgh Pirates' Nick Gonzales (3) celebrates with Bryan Reynolds (10) on his way back to the dugout after his two-run home run off Minnesota Twins pitcher Zebby Matthews in the third inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, May 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Tom E. Puskar)

From wire, online reports

PITTSBURGH — 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.

“My M.O. is just staying in the zone,” Ashcraft said. “Suffocating the zone with strikes. I put a lot of trust in (the catchers), whoever’s back there, just to game plan and understand what’s going on with hitters.

“It allows me to turn my brain off and focus on the task at hand — throwing strikes and getting guys out.”

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.

“You want to make an impact when you come back from a rehab assignment or anything,” O’Hearn said, “so I hadn’t seen live pitching, but confident in my abilities. I felt it good in the cage and stuff, so (it was) cool to have it translate in the first at-bat like that.”

“I asked (O’Hearn), ‘Is it that easy?'” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “First at-bat stay on a breaking ball and drive it out to right, and then later to hit a fastball the other way — he’s a professional hitter.”

Jared Triolo singled in Oneil Cruz to make it 2-0.

Gonzales’ two-run homer in the third extended the margin to 4-0. It was his first homer of the season.

“It’s just been a while,” Gonzales said. “… Felt good to kind of just get that weight off my shoulder and help the team too and score two runs.”

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, which is managed by former Pirates manager Derek Shelton.

Saturday’s game

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 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.

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.

Gonzales had three hits for Pittsburgh.

Kody Clemens had three of Minnesota’s 12 hits. 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.

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.

Up next

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.