Surging Bucs edge Padres for 3rd straight win

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.