CLEVELAND (Interstat) — Rookie right-hander Jared Jones pitched five dominant innings and the Pittsburgh Pirates used a three-run sixth inning to break open a close game, defeating the Cleveland Guardians 7-1 on Friday night at Progressive Field.

The game, played before an announced crowd of 27,989, took 2 hours, 22 minutes. Pittsburgh improved to 51-47, matching Cleveland’s record at 51-47.

Jones, who entered with a 1-1 record, allowed three hits and one earned run while striking out nine. He walked one. The only damage against him came in the third inning, when Guardians second baseman Travis Bazzana tripled to right field, scoring Steven Kwan to cut Pittsburgh’s lead to 2-1. Jones then retired the next two batters to end the threat.

Reliever Carmen Mlodzinski followed with three scoreless innings, giving up two hits and striking out two. Isaac Mattson worked a perfect ninth inning, allowing one hit and striking out two.

The Pirates’ offense provided early support in the second inning. After Tyler Callihan doubled off the right-field wall, shortstop Jacob Gonzalez crushed a home run to right field, his third of the season, giving Pittsburgh a 2-0 lead.

Cleveland starter Gavin Williams struck out 11 over six innings but allowed five earned runs on seven hits. He held the Pirates in check through the first five innings, but the sixth proved decisive.

Bryan Reynolds led off the inning with a single, and Esmerlyn Valdez followed by launching a home run to right-center field, his 11th, scoring Reynolds and stretching the lead to 4-1. Two batters later, Nick Gonzales added a solo home run to right-center, his fifth, making it 5-1.

Pittsburgh tacked on two more runs in the eighth inning. Brandon Lowe singled, and Reynolds doubled to put runners at second and third. Valdez struck out, but Ryan O’Hearn lifted a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Lowe. Reynolds advanced to third on the play and later scored on a single by Gonzales.

Gonzalez finished 2 for 4 with a home run and two RBIs. Gonzales went 2 for 4 with a home run and an RBI. Valdez was 1 for 4 with a home run and two RBIs. Reynolds went 2 for 4 with a double and two runs scored.

For Cleveland, Bazzana drove in the lone run with his triple. He finished 1 for 4. Kwan had two hits. Reliever Codi Heuer pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits.

Williams, the losing pitcher, fell to 10-5 on the season. Matt Festa gave up two runs in 1 1/3 innings.

The pivotal moment came in the sixth when Valdez and Gonzalez connected for back-to-back homers, turning a one-run game into a 5-1 lead. The Pirates had not scored since the second inning, and Williams had been effectively mixing his fastball and slider. Valdez’s homer came on a 2-1 pitch that he sent over the wall in right-center, and Gonzalez followed with a similar blast on a 1-0 offering. The outburst chased Williams after the inning, though he had already struck out 11.

Pittsburgh’s victory extended its recent strong run. The Pirates entered the game having won four of their previous five, including a 14-5 win over Milwaukee on Sunday and a 3-2 win over the Brewers on Saturday. They had split a four-game series with Atlanta earlier in the week, losing the first two and winning the last two. The team’s offense has been productive, scoring at least five runs in seven of its last 10 games.

Cleveland had won five of its last six before Friday, including a three-game sweep at Miami over the weekend. The Guardians’ pitching staff had allowed three runs or fewer in five of those six games, but they could not contain Pittsburgh’s power. Cleveland’s bullpen had been a strength, but Festa faltered in the eighth.

Both teams are tied at 51-47 in the standings, though with different trajectories. The Pirates are in the thick of the National League wild-card race, while the Guardians are battling for the American League Central lead. The series continues Saturday and Sunday at Progressive Field before Pittsburgh travels to New York for a three-game set against the Yankees. Cleveland will host Minnesota for a four-game series starting Monday.

Jones’ performance marked his second consecutive strong start. In his previous outing against Atlanta on July 8, he threw six scoreless innings, allowing no hits and striking out eight, though the Pirates lost 3-0. He has not allowed an earned run in his last 11 innings, a stretch that includes 17 strikeouts.

Mlodzinski, who entered with a 3.12 ERA, retired the side in order in the seventh and eighth innings. He struck out two and did not walk a batter. Mattson struck out two in the ninth after allowing a single to Kahlil Watson.

The game’s total of eight runs went under the over/under line of 7.5. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Pittsburgh 7, Cleveland 6. Interstat’s ELO system gave Cleveland a 55.20 percent probability to win. Cleveland had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5.