Padres sweep Pirates

The San Diego Padres completed a dramatic series sweep over the Pittsburgh Pirates with a 7-6 victory, highlighted by a three-run ninth inning on Thursday. Pirates closer David Bednar struggled, allowing a single to Xander Bogaerts and walking Jackson Merrill, before a throwing error by Oneil Cruz on a potential double-play allowed two runs to score. Luis Arráez then sealed the win with an RBI double. This marks the Padres' fifth sweep in their last 16 series, and they have won 14 of their past 16 games, positioning them 2.5 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West. The Pirates, conversely, have lost five of their last six games.