Perez, Cahill lead Pirates over Twins 6-2

Michael Perez had three hits and three RBIs, helping Trevor Cahill and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Minnesota Twins 6-2 on Saturday.

Cahill (1-2) permitted one run and two hits in six innings. The right-hander retired the Twins in order in five of his innings.

It was Cahill’s longest outing since he also worked six innings for the Angels at Baltimore on May 10, 2019.

Minnesota lost for the 10th time in 12 games. Michael Pineda (1-1) allowed five runs, four earned, and six hits in 4 1/3 innings. Jake Cave had two of the Twins’ three hits.

The Pirates jumped on Pineda for three runs in the second. With one out, Erik González singled and advanced to third when Gregory Polanco dumped a shift-beating pop fly into short left for a double.

Todd Frazier drove in a run on a fielder’s choice grounder that Twins shortstop Jorge Polanco threw away for an error. Perez then made it 3-0 with a two-run double.

The damage could have been worse but Buxton made a diving catch in left-center to rob Kevin Newman of a hit.

The Twins got one back in the bottom of the second on Cave’s RBI double.

Perez and Newman hit back-to-back homers to start the fifth, and Newman added a sacrifice fly to make it 6-1 in the sixth.

The Twins scored an unearned run in the eighth when Cave doubled, moved to third on left fielder Phillip Evans’ error and scored on Josh Donaldson’s sacrifice fly.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Twins: LHP Caleb Thielbar was reinstated from the COVID-19 injured list and RHP Luke Farrell was returned to the team’s alternate training site. Thielbar last pitched on April 16.

UP NEXT

Pirates: Manager Derek Shelton has not yet named a starter for Sunday afternoon’s series finale.

Twins: RHP Matt Shoemaker (1-1, 6.28 ERA) will face the Pirates for the first time in his career.