Game 53: Pirates at Giants

This afternoon Pittsburgh completed a three game sweep of the Defending World Series Champion San Francisco Giants in San Francisco!
http://m.pirates.mlb.com/news/article/128404330/
"By Alex Espinoza and Tom Singer / MLB.com | + 8 COMMENTS
SAN FRANCISCO -- Jordy Mercer snapped a tie with a leadoff homer in the fifth, his second in as many games, before he and the rest of the Buccos offense broke up a tight game to score a 5-2 win over the Giants and complete their first series sweep in AT&T Park since 2007.
Francisco Liriano pitched four-hit ball through seven innings in lowering his road ERA in six starts to 1.52, then Jared Hughes worked his way out of a jam after Nori Aoki and Joe Panik led off the eighth with singles. The Bucs added three runs in the ninth on Mercer's RBI single and a two-run pinch-hit double by Pittsburgh's other shortstop, Jung Ho Kang.
Giants starter Tim Hudson allowed seven hits and two runs in seven innings in being dealt another frustrating loss by the Bucs, his sixth in his last seven decisions with Pittsburgh since 2010. He went at least seven innings without giving up more than three runs for the fourth time in that stretch.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Tabata comes through: Making only his second start of the season for the Pirates, Jose Tabata made it count, punctuating a three-hit flurry in the third inning with a two-out RBI single that tied it at 1. Later, in the ninth, Tabata again singled to trigger a three-run rally.
Helping his cause: The Giants were held hitless until two outs in the third inning, when Hudson belted a ground-rule double to left-center. The ball landed just before Tabata was able to make a play on the warning track, then it bounced up into the bleachers. Hudson eventually came around to score San Francisco's first run when Panik hit a soft RBI single to left.
Too little, too late: The Giants made things interesting in the ninth inning by connecting on three straight singles to load the bases. But Mark Melancon came in and shut the door, inducing an RBI groundout from Brandon Crawford before getting Aoki to ground out to end the game.
REPLAY REVIEW
The Pirates escaped a jam in the third inning when Francisco Cervelli threw out Aoki trying to steal third base. With Angel Pagan up and two outs, Aoki broke for third but was tagged out by Josh Harrison on a close play. Giants skipper Bruce Bochy challenged the ruling, but following a replay review, the ruling was that the call on the field stands.
Alex Espinoza is a contributor to MLB.com. Tom Singer is a reporter for MLB.com and writes an MLBlog Change for a Nickel. He can also be found on Twitter @Tom_Singer and on his podcast. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs."