The Pirates have won four in a row, moving back to .500 for the first time since the morning of June 17, and their bullpen hasn't allowed a run in 32 2/3 innings.
Trailing 4-3, Tyler Ladendorf and Coco Crisp led off the seventh with back-to-back singles against Neftali Feliz, who responded by striking out two of the next three batters he faced. David Freese gave the bullpen breathing room in the eighth, tacking on a two-run homer off John Axford.
Pittsburgh dealt A's rookie Daniel Mengden his fourth career loss in five starts.