San Francisco Giants at Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pirates are surging at the right time. And reinforcements are coming.  Pittsburgh defeated San Francisco, 5-2, Thursday afternoon for its fifth series win in its past six tries. The victory, and five runs, came despite the club not recording an extra-base hit or any runs coming off a hit. The Pirates remain multiple games outside the final National League Wild Card spot, but their 20-year-old phenom Konnor Griffin is expected to be activated and return to the lineup Friday for the first time since July 5.   “We've proven all year we're going to fight. I think no one can deny that the fight in this team is real,” outfielder Jake Mangum said. “Anytime it looked like we were about to go on a losing skid early in the year, we always found a way to win a game. Our bounce-back has been phenomenal this year. Obviously we're a few more wins away from where we want to be, but there's still time.” Pirates manager Don Kelly wouldn’t commit to the definitive return of Griffin, saying he’s trending in the right direction. All signs point to his return at the earliest eligible activation date, and Griffin told reporters pregame Thursday he was ready to be activated. “He's a huge piece of the offense, defense, baserunning, everything that goes on,” Kelly said. “I just want him to be Konnor, go out there, have fun, play baseball and do what he does to help us win.”