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Giants Fall to Pirates 5-2 as Six Relievers Shield Tidwell

San Francisco’s offense managed only two runs despite a strong start from Blade Tidwell, who took the loss. Pittsburgh relied on six pitchers to secure the victory at PNC Park.

Briar Keller

September 4, 20262 min read

Baseball Pitch - illustration, Jake Team LLC
MLBFinal
San Francisco Giants2
Pittsburgh Pirates5

September 3, 2026

Trailing Effort

The San Francisco Giants entered Thursday’s contest with hope, but their pitching staff could not contain the Pittsburgh Pirates’ offense over the final innings. Despite a solid outing from starter Blade Tidwell, who faced early pressure, the Giants’ bullpen struggled to maintain momentum. The final score of 5-2 reflected a game where Pittsburgh’s depth proved decisive.

Tidwell worked five innings for San Francisco, allowing two runs on two hits while striking out five batters. However, he also issued five walks, setting the stage for continued pressure. He took the loss, dropping his record to 0-2 on the season.

Pitching Depth

San Francisco’s relief corps attempted to stabilize the game but could not fully shut down the Pirates. Reiver Sanmartin pitched one inning, giving up one run and one hit before Trent Harris entered. Harris worked a clean inning with no runs allowed and no walks, striking out one batter.

Ryan Walker closed out the Giants' pitching effort with one inning, allowing one run and one hit.

Pittsburgh’s strategy relied heavily on its bullpen to protect a narrow lead. Lake Bachar started for the Pirates but exited after 2.1 innings without allowing a run, though he walked two batters. Brandon Eisert provided a quick half-inning of relief with no runs allowed. Khristian Curtis earned the win after pitching three innings, allowing two runs and one hit while striking out two.

Closing Out

The Pirates’ bullpen closed the door in the late innings. Yohan Ramirez pitched a scoreless eighth inning with one strikeout, earning his eighth save. Luke Weaver followed with a perfect ninth, recording one strikeout without allowing any hits or walks to secure his 18th save. Mason Montgomery also contributed a scoreless inning with one strikeout.

Scoring Summary

San Francisco scored first in the top of the first inning when Cruz walked and Horwitz drove him in. Reynolds added another run later in the frame after being hit by a pitch from Tidwell.

The Giants extended their lead to 3-0 in the sixth inning on a sacrifice bunt by Mangum, followed by a controversial groundout that was overturned on review, allowing Mangum to score.

Pittsburgh rallied in the seventh. Lee doubled and Cox scored, then Furman grounded out to bring home Hill, making it 4-3. The Pirates sealed the win in the eighth when Triolo hit a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Mangum for the final run.

The Pirates improved to 69-72, while the Giants fell to 58-83.

Sources

https://www.espn.com/mlb/game/_/gameId/401816789

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Briar Keller

Briar Keller covers Saratoga high school and area college sports.

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