Surging Bucs edge Padres for 3rd straight win
(MLB.com Pittsburgh Pirates)

Pittsburgh keeps finding ways to win. A fielding error would prove to be the difference in the Pirates` 5-4 victory over the Padres at PNC Park on Thursday. Pittsburgh entered with the fewest strikeouts in the National League, and a Christian Villanueva gaffe is a representation of the success the Pirates have had when they put the ball in play. They`ve now won three straight, and eight of their last nine games, and are alone in first place in the National League Central.