CHICAGO – A ninth-inning home run by Chicago’s own Jack Suwinski propelled the Pirates to a 3-2 victory Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field.

Suwinski, who entered the day batting .118 but has taken better swings of late, jumped on a 101 mph Daniel Palencia fastball and drove it 376 feet to left-center for his third home run of the season.

That homer backed up Braxton Ashcraft’s longest start in the Majors. After spending most of the season in the bullpen, Ashcraft went five innings of one-run ball, striking out four. After the Pirates were heavily taxed during a 13-game stretch, that outing let manager Don Kelly go to his leverage arms earlier.

Isaac Mattson got five outs in the seventh and eighth (while allowing inherited runner Pete Crow-Armstrong to score) and Dennis Santana picked

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