Tuesday night the Pittsburgh Pirates went up against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. This was the first of a two-game interleague set that the Pirates and Twins started back in May at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. The Pirates sent starter Charlie Morton to the mound to oppose the Twins right-hander Mike Pelfrey. Neither of the starters lasted six innings, with Morton pitching 5.2 innings and Pelfrey pitching 5.1 innings. Pelfrey gave up three runs, just two of those earned, on five hits and received a no-decision. Morton also received a no-decision on Tuesday as he pitched 5.2 innings, giving up three earned runs while surrendering four walks.

The Twins started off the scoring in the first inning as Miguel Sano singled to score teammate Joe Mauer. The hit gave the Twins a 1-0 lead on the night and they would later add on. In the bottom of the fourth, Aaron Hicks would groundout to score Eddie Rosario and give the Twins a 2-0 lead.

In the top of the fifth, the Pirates were trailing 2-0 when Jaff Decker hit a sacrifice bunt that was not fielded cleanly by third baseman Trevor Plouffe and allowed Francisco Cervelli to score, cutting the lead down to 2-1. Later on in the inning, Neil Walker reached on a fielder's choice that allowed for Travis Ishikawa to score and tie the game at two.

The Pirates took their first lead of the game in the top of the sixth inning. With Travis Ishikawa at the plate and runners at the corners for the Pirates, Ishikawa poked a single to left field to score Jung Ho Kang and put the Pirates up 3-2.

However, the Twins would respond to the Pirates, and quickly. Aaron Hicks tripled in the bottom of the sixth inning to score Miguel Sano from first and tie the game at three runs apiece.

The Pirates would eventually break out for a big inning and take a commanding lead in this contest. In the top of the eighth inning with the bases loaded, Gregory Polanco doubled to bring home three runs and put the Pirates up on the Twins 6-3. Polanco would reach third base on the throw home on the double. Neil Walker then singled home Polanco to make it 7-3 Bucs.

A lot of people thought it was over, including Twins fans who headed for the exits. However, the Twins had other plans in mind in this one. An Aaron Hicks single to score Trevor Plouffe would cut the Pirates lead down to 7-4. Kurt Suzuki would later on hit a double that allowed two runs to score and cut the lead to 7-6 Pirates. Eduardo Escobar would then hit a ground-rule double to score Danny Santana and tie the game at seven. One has to wonder how those fans that left early felt about this one?

The Pirates seemed shell-shocked that the lead had been surrendered so quickly, especially because it came against Tony Watson who has been lights out all season long. But the Pirates would not give up in this one. Jung Ho Kang went yard in the top of the ninth inning off of Twins All-Star closer Glen Perkins to put the Pirates up 8-7.

Mark Melancon, who relieved Tony Watson in the eighth after Watson gave up an uncharacteristic four runs, would come back out for the ninth inning. Melancon worked quickly getting two outs and stopped the bleeding in the eighth. Melancon would allow a baserunner with one out, but then was able to get Trevor Plouffe to ground into a game-ending double play and give the Pirates, and himself, the victory.

ANALYSIS: The Pirates had another one of those team wins where the majority of the team came together to contribute. The pitching, though it's been the most significant reason the Pirates have won a lot of games this year, was not at its best on Tuesday. However, the Pirates offense picked up the slack for their pitchers on Tuesday. The offense has been the variable, or the unknown, for the Pirates in 2015 because they have the talent to put up lots of runs but they do not do it at a steady pace. Gregory Polanco, though going just 1-for-5, made that one hit a big one and has really come around as of late. That can be credited in large part to Clint Hurdle essentially telling Polanco to relax and that he will not be going back to Triple-A. Since that talk, Polanco has been coming through big with clutch hits.

One of those hits came against the St. Louis Cardinals the game before the All-Star Break. Another one of those hits was in this game that plated three runs. The Pirates also owe a ton of thanks to Jung Ho Kang on this night due to his game-winning homer in the ninth off of Glen Perkins. Kang has been the biggest offseason signing for the Pirates, especially with infielders Jordy Mercer and Josh Harrison both out right now. Kang has provided a spark to the Pirates offense and has adjusted very well in a quick amount of time to major league pitching.

BIG PICTURE: Taking a look at the big picture of things, this was a pretty big win for the Pirates. Now with all things considered, especially the fact that the schedule is such a long grind, many people could say that it's just one game. That's not wrong because it is just one game but that's the big picture to take a look at in all of this. It may just be one game but it's a game that the Pirates battled and found a way to win. Furthermore, it came on a night where the NL Central Division leaders lost. The St. Louis Cardinals were shutout by the Cincinnati Reds at home 4-0, which puts the Pirates at 5.5 games behind the Cardinals now.

With the way both the Pirates and Cardinals are playing, there may be a dogfight amongst those two teams when they go up against each other down the stretch. If both teams keep playing at a similar pace, the division is going to come down to the head-to-head matchups between the Cardinals and Pirates, and those could mean a lot to both clubs. That remains to be seen, but a win like the one the Pirates just earned helps keep the Pirates chances to finally clear the hurdle, that is the Cardinals, alive and kicking.