Gregory Polanco, Neil Walker and Ike Davis homered as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Boston Red Sox, 9-1, in the middle contest of a three-game set.
Clint Barmes went 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored for the Pirates, who entered Wednesday's action 2 1/2 games behind St. Louis for first place in the NL Central.
Francisco Liriano (6-10) allowed one run on three hits while striking out five over six innings for Pittsburgh, which has won 10 of 12.
Xander Bogaerts drove in the lone run for the Red Sox, who saw starter Clay Buchholz (8-9) give up five runs -- four earned -- on six hits over four innings. The right-hander had a three-start winning streak snapped.
Rusney Castillo went 1-for-4 in his MLB debut. Projected as Boston's leadoff hitter of the future, the Cuban Castillo signed a seven-year, $72.5 million deal on Aug. 23. He batted seventh and started in center field on Wednesday.
[SportsNetwork.com]
