CLEVELAND — One quality start, two bloop singles and a pair of big catches. Those were the three most notable components that went into the Pirates’ 3-0 victory against the Guardians on Saturday evening at Progressive Field. The win snapped a four-game losing streak for Derek Shelton’s club.
"We pitched really well tonight, got a couple big hits when we needed 'em,” Shelton said. “Overall, I was really, really happy with how we threw the ball."
Coming off a Friday night defeat where starter Bailey Falter lasted just four innings, right-hander Luis Ortiz paved the way for the Pirates, tossing six shutout, one hit frames. Ortiz walked three batters and struck out five. His first and only hit allowed came in the bottom of the fifth, a two-out single to right field from Bo Naylor.
Matched up against a Guardians offense that plated 10 runs the night prior, Ortiz remained in control throughout his outing thanks to an effective pitch mix, throwing three of his four pitches at least 22 times. Ortiz’s best pitch of the evening was his slider, which generated three whiffs and accounted for four of his five strikeouts. He has now thrown 15-straight scoreless innings. The victory improved Ortiz to 6-4 on the season, dropping his ERA to 3.19.
"I felt good,” Ortiz said of his outing with major league coach Stephen Morales translating. “I thank God for that. I put in a lot of hard work this week, getting myself ready for this game. I watched a lot of video and watched the game yesterday, which told me a lot. That's what put me in a good spot today."
Aiding Ortiz’s effort was a stellar performance in left field from Bryan Reynolds. The Pirates All-Star outfielder made two impactful catches in the evening, the first coming in the bottom of the fourth, when he dove on a fading ball to keep Ortiz’s no-hit bid alive. He then topped that snag with an even bigger catch in the bottom of the seventh, robbing pinch-hitter Lane Thomas of extra-bases with a leaping grab at the wall and then throwing down to second for an inning-ending double play.
"... It looked like it almost scraped the wall,” Shelton said. “ It's a heck of a play. And overall, Bryan's done a nice job."
After scoring 31 runs in their past four games, the Pirates’ bats were a bit quiet Saturday, but still did enough to win. Nick Gonzales scored the game’s first run thanks to his leadoff double in the top of the fourth, his second of three hits on the night. Andrew McCutchen drove home Gonzales the following at-bat on a bloop single to right field. Rowdy Tellez added to the Pirates’ effort in the top of the eighth with a two-run pinch-hit single to make the game 3-0.
On the mound
In what has been a disastrous month for the Pirates’ bullpen, the trio of Jalen Beeks, Dennis Santana and Aroldis Chapman were able to successfully deliver the club the final nine outs needed to secure the shutout win.
Beeks provided nerves to Pirate fans in his brief appearance, allowing two of the three batters he faced to reach base. Santana came in to relieve Beeks, recording five outs against four batters thanks to Reynolds’ inning-ending double play effort in the seventh and a 1-2-3 eighth frame.
"I think it's a good way to end August, because we've had a challenging August, a little bit, about putting up zeroes,” Shelton said. “We need to build on that and finish strong."
Chapman closed the door in the ninth, recording his fifth save of the season and 326th of his career. As a team, the Pirates allowed just two hits and struck out nine batters.
At the plate
Oneil Cruz extended his on-base streak to 22 games with a single in the top of the seventh inning. The knock also extended Cruz’s hitting streak to 11-games, a career best.
Cruz added another hit to his credit the following inning, smacking a line drive off the back of Cleveland reliever Tim Herrin for an infield single. He concluded the month of August going 37-for-95 (.389) at the plate with nine doubles, a home run and 14 RBIs.
“He's had a really good month overall,” Shelton said of Cruz earlier this week.
They said it
"It's hard work, and it's the staff,” Ortiz said of his recent success. “They're always on top of me, trying to make me better. I've been taking advantage of that too, the help from the staff."
Up next
Sunday: Pirates at Guardians, 1:40 p.m., Progressive Field
TV, radio: SportsNet Pittsburgh, KDKA-FM (93.7 The Fan)
Probable pitchers: RHP Mitch Keller (11-8, 3.84) for Pirates; RHP Alex Cobb (1-1, 4.35) for Guardians
Key matchup: Keller has struggled in August, losing in three of his last four starts.
Hidden stat: Andrew McCutchen extended his hitting streak to 13 games Saturday, tying the second longest of his career.
Monday: Pirates at Cubs, 7:40 p.m., Wrigley Field
Probable pitchers: TBA for Pirates; TBA for Cubs.
First Published: September 1, 2024, 1:16 a.m.