Jared Jones came within two outs of history, and the Pittsburgh Pirates finished the job anyway.
Jones fired seven innings of one-hit ball Thursday night, Oneil Cruz supplied the offense with a solo shot, and Pittsburgh blanked the Chicago White Sox 2-0 to finish off a three-game sweep. The White Sox managed only two hits and dropped their eighth game in 11 tries, while their lead in the AL Central over idle Cleveland shrank to 1 1/2 games.
The no-hit bid stayed alive until the seventh. Jones had already navigated leadoff walks in the third and fourth innings when Colson Montgomery broke it up with a two-out double. Jones then completed the inning, matching the longest outing of his career, and ended with eight strikeouts.
Cruz opened the scoring in the fourth, driving a pitch from Erick Fedde deep to center for a solo homer. He added another RBI in the eighth, singling to bring in Jared Triolo and make it 2-0.
Chicago had a brief threat in the fourth after Miguel Vargas stole second, advanced to third on a throwing error and then watched Jones erase the danger by inducing three straight flyouts.
Fedde, who entered one batter into the third after opener Hagen Smith, allowed four hits and a walk with one strikeout over 5 1/3 innings.
Luke Weaver handled a clean eighth, and Mason Montgomery closed it out for his 12th save. The Pirates have now won four straight and nine of 11.
Pittsburgh was chasing its seventh no-hitter. Francisco Cordova and Ricardo Rincon last pulled it off on July 12, 1997, against Houston, while John Candelaria owns the club’s last solo no-hitter, on Aug. 9, 1976, against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Pirates have not named a starter for Friday afternoon’s game against the Cubs. Chicago will open its series at St. Louis Friday night with left-hander Anthony Kay on the mound against Cardinals left-hander Matthew Liberatore.
In Other News...
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For Chicago, the appeal is obvious: Strider brings the kind of upside that can change a staff if he is right. The problem is just as obvious, too, because any team eyeing him has to weigh that ceiling against the risk, the cost, and the reality that the White Sox may need more than one move to turn their rotation into something dependable. [Read more 🡒]
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White Sox Suddenly Face A September Problem Fans Feared
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Colson Montgomery and Davis Martin both stressed the need to stay locked in and handle the moment without letting the noise spill onto the field, a sensible message for a team trying to hold its footing this late in the season. The White Sox have still done enough to control their own path, but with the margins shrinking and every game carrying more weight, the next few nights will say plenty about how well they can answer the challenge. [Read more 🡒]