Pirates complete sweep of Twins behind Ashcraft's strikeouts and homers

The Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Minnesota Twins 9-3 on Sunday, completing a three-game sweep at home. Braxton Ashcraft struck out 11 over six innings while allowing two runs and five hits. Ryan O'Hearn and Nick Gonzales each hit home runs, contributing to a five-run fifth inning that gave the Pirates a 9-0 lead. Brooks Lee hit two home runs for Minnesota, but it wasn't enough to stop the team's fifth consecutive loss. The Twins will face the Chicago White Sox next, while the Pirates will play the Houston Astros on Tuesday.

• 8:47 PMYahoo Sports — Ashcraft strikes out 11 and Pirates get HRs from O'Hearn and Gonzales to sweep skidding Twins, 9-3