The Pirates came out of the All-Star break looking like a team that knew exactly what it needed: cleaner defense, sharper starting pitching, and a series win to open the second half.
They got all of it in Cleveland.
Pittsburgh took two of three from the Guardians at Progressive Field, winning the opener of the doubleheader 7-1, dropping the nightcap 5-3 on a walk-off home run from Bazzana, then closing the set with a 5-1 victory on July 18. The result keeps the Pirates firmly in the National League Wild Card race and gives them a strong series win over an American League opponent.
What stood out most was how the Pirates won the finale. This is a club that has had one of the best offenses in baseball, but the defense has not always matched it. Against Cleveland, the gloves made a real difference.
The biggest sequence came early in the series finale. In the third inning, Paul Skenes struck out Travis Bazzana, Henry Davis threw out Steven Kwan at second base, and Jacob Gonzalez finished the double play with the tag.
In the fourth, Billy Cook tracked down a ball in center and then threw out Chase DeLauter at home. In the sixth, Jake Mangum slid to corral a blooper from Kwan and fired to second, where Nick Gonzales applied the tag.
Those plays mattered because the game was tight at the time. The Pirates were tied 1-1 and later led just 2-1, so keeping Cleveland off the board in those spots changed the shape of the game.
Pittsburgh also got a key defensive moment in the second game of the doubleheader, when Bryan Reynolds and Gonzales combined to throw out Patrick Bailey at home before the Pirates eventually fell on Bazzana’s walk-off homer.
The pitching was just as important. Pirates starters allowed only two runs over 13 innings in the series. Add in Khristian Curtis’ scoreless five innings of relief, and the staff line becomes two runs over 18 innings, which works out to a 1.00 ERA.
Jared Jones set the tone in the opener, working five innings and allowing three hits and one run while striking out a season-high nine. Skenes followed with seven innings, one run, and eight strikeouts on 100 pitches in the finale. Curtis may have been the most eye-catching of the group because it was his MLB debut, and he looked right at home, giving up two hits and two walks while striking out four over 68 pitches.
With injuries thinning out the roster - Konnor Griffin, Endy Rodríguez, Oneil Cruz, and Spencer Horwitz among those sidelined - the Pirates needed other players to carry more of the load. Cook and Gonzalez answered.
Cook finished the finale 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored, and he did damage in every direction. He opened the scoring with an RBI single in the third, added a triple and later scored in the fifth to make it 2-1, then delivered another RBI single in the sixth before scoring again as the Pirates pushed the lead to 5-1. It was his first three-hit game, his first multi-hit game of the season, and the fourth of his career.
Gonzalez made his mark in the opener with a two-run homer that gave Pittsburgh a 2-0 lead and helped set up the win. In the finale, he drove in another run with an RBI single that scored Gonzales to make it 3-1 in the sixth, then later crossed the plate himself to make it 4-1.
Added as shortstop help with Griffin injured, Gonzalez has shown he can handle the job with both his bat and glove. Cook, meanwhile, gave Reynolds a day off at designated hitter and made a strong case for more chances going forward.
In Other News...
This Pirates Trade Idea Feels Like A Deadline Misread Again
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Pittsburgh does have the kind of deep farm system that can be used to chase pitching help, which makes the idea of shopping from the minors feel far more logical than sacrificing a major-league contributor. Horwitz also fits the sort of player a contender usually tries to keep, not reroute, because his value to the club goes beyond one hot stretch at the plate. For a team trying to show it is serious about winning now, misreading that balance would be the sort of deadline move that lingers well beyond July. [Read more 🡒]
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Bednars comments land at a time when the Pirates have given their fans something to hold onto, and he sounded like someone who is paying attention from afar. He praised the clubs recent progress and the direction it is trying to build, while also acknowledging that Pittsburgh remains a place he remembers fondly. For a pitcher now trying to settle in with the Yankees, it was a reminder that some exits are cleaner on paper than they are in real life. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates Fans Had One Immediate Fear After Latest Oneil Cruz Move
Oneil Cruz landing on the 60-day injured list was enough to make Pirates fans brace for the worst, especially with the fractured hand he suffered in June still keeping him sidelined. The move came as Pittsburgh cleared room on the roster for right-hander Khristian Curtis, and Cruzs recovery remains on track, with his return window still pointing to early August.
Still, the timing underscored how much the Pirates are juggling on the injury front. Endy Rodrguez and Spencer Horwitz are both moving in the right direction as well, and each could be close to starting rehab work within the next week to 10 days, giving Pittsburgh a chance to inch back toward a healthier lineup just as Cruz nears eligibility again. [Read more 🡒]