Trevor Williams got on a roll, leaving his ugly first start in the rear view, and the Pirates' bullpen narrowly held on for a 4-3 win over the Diamondbacks on Saturday to end the Bucs' six-game losing streak.
Williams, who was touched up by the Dodgers for eight runs in three innings in his first major league start on Monday, struck out four, walked one and gave up one run on four hits in five innings.
He ran into some trouble in the second, giving up a leadoff home run to Nick Ahmed followed by a double to Jeff Mathis. Williams, though, set down the next 12 batters he faced to get through the fifth.
The Pirates pulled ahead, 2-1, in the fourth. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases. Francisco Cervelli grounded into a double play, which pushed one run home. Taijuan Walker intentionally walked Jordy Mercer to get to Williams, but Brandon Drury couldn't handle Williams' grounder and David Freese went home with the go-ahead run.
Josh Harrison and Andrew McCutchen hit back-to-back doubles in the fifth and John Jaso drove in a run with a pinch-hit single in the sixth to increase the Pirates' lead to 4-1.
A pair of solo homers -- Paul Goldschmidt off Felipe Rivero in the eighth and Ahmed, his second, off Tony Watson in the ninth -- brought Arizona within one. Watson was a little shaky, and he walked pinch-hitter Daniel Descalso to turn the lineup over with two outs, but A.J. Pollock popped out to Harrison at third to complete the Pirates' first win in a week.
Harrison had two hits and Josh Bell added a double. The Pirates' starting lineup, featuring Adam Frazier, David Freese, Josh Bell and Francisco Cervelli all at the same time, was as aesthetically pleasing as it has been in a good while. It came through with eight hits off Walker in his six innings.
Ivan Nova will lead the Pirates' attempt at a series split Sunday afternoon.