Kinsler’s 3-run homer lifts Padres to 4-3 win vs Pirates
By BERNIE WILSON AP Sports Writer
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Ian Kinsler hit a mighty three-run homer to put the San Diego Padres ahead of the Pittsburgh Pirates, and then had a profane outburst as he crossed home and then again in the dugout.
Many fans on social media felt it was directed at them, and manager Andy Green said it “was not the right response.”
Kinsler, who hasn’t been a fan favorite as he’s struggled since joining the Padres on an $8 million, two-year deal, said otherwise.
“That was for my teammates,” Kinsler said after the 4-3 victory Thursday night. “It had nothing to do with the fans. It’s for my teammates. It’s an inside thing with them. Just trying to get everybody fired up. We had a tough road trip. I’m a passionate player. I try to get my teammates going. That was it.”
He declined to say exactly what he said.
“That’s why it’s inside,” he said. “We need the fans behind us. We need the city of San Diego to be passionate with us and on our side. Hopefully that’s the way they see this team.”
Kinsler’s homer and reaction overshadowed the Padres setting the major league record by going 8,020 games without a no-hitter since their inception. Then again, fans have been used to that since 1969.
Franmil Reyes also homered, connecting off San Diegan Trevor Williams an inning before the Pirates starter left with discomfort in his right side.
Green had a different take than Kinsler.
“I think we’re aware of what’s going on,” the manager said. “I understand the emotion of the game a little bit, the frustration he’s felt up to this point. I’m not excusing anything by any stretch, but understanding what it feels like to go to the plate every day and grind and struggle. The world we live in, you hear a lot of hostility, so some of that comes out at times.”
Green said the Padres have an “outstanding” fan base, and that fans have the right to express displeasure.
“We as professionals should handle that displeasure in a more positive way than it was handled today,” Green said. “With him, he knows that. He’s played the game a long time. … Clearly not expressed well today. Ultimately, though, he’s a passionate baseball player.”
Green said he’d talk with Kinsler about it.
Kinsler’s three-run shot off Richard Rodriguez (0-3) with two outs in the sixth gave the Padres a 4-2 lead and got them off the hook for some shoddy play. It was Kinsler’s fifth.
Gregory Polanco made it a one-run game with a homer to right in the seventh, his third.
Adam Frazier singled to left off lefty Eric Lauer with two outs in the third to extend the Padres’ streak of futility into record territory. The Padres remain the only major league team without a no-hitter. The previous longest streak of 8,019 games without a no-hitter from a franchise’s inception was by the New York Mets, who got their first no-hitter, by Johan Santana, on June 1, 2012.
“It was still kind of early in the game,” Frazier said. “It’s pretty cool to extend that streak. I didn’t know about it; just trying to get a hit. I’m glad we weren’t the team that let them break that record, or whatever you want to call it.”
The Padres have had pitchers take a no-no into the eighth inning or beyond several times since their expansion season of 1969 but have never completed one. Some fans feel the franchise is cursed because manger Preston Gomez lifted Clay Kirby after eight no-hit innings against the New York Mets on June 21, 1970.
“It’s not a record that we want. I think one’s coming soon,” Lauer said.
Adam Warren (3-1) pitched two-thirds of an inning for the win, and Kirby Yates pitched the ninth for his major league-leading 17th save.
Reyes homered into the Padres’ bullpen beyond the fence in left-center with one out in the third, his 13th.
The Pirates tied it in the fifth after the Padres gave them several extra chances, including when rookie Kevin Newman, who played at Poway High, doubled to shallow right on a ball that ticked off Kinsler’s glove as the second baseman tried to make a basket catch while right fielder Reyes and first baseman Eric Hosmer also converged on the ball. Newman went on to score on Frazier’s soft chopper to the right of the mound, beating Lauer’s throw home.
The Pirates went ahead 2-1 on an unearned run in the sixth on two singles, an error and a wild pitch.
Williams, who played at Rancho Bernardo High, left with two outs in the fourth after striking out Myers. He allowed one run and two hits, struck out five and walked one.
Williams loaded the bases with one out in the first on a walk, single and hit batter before striking out Alex Dickerson, who also played at Poway High, and getting Myers to ground out.
“I think it’s hard to evaluate the outing. He was competing like he always does. He was going out there, making pitches,” manager Clint Hurdle said.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Padres: Green said “it’d probably still be a little bit of a stretch” to expect rookie SS Fernando Tatis Jr., on the IL with a strained left hamstring, to return to the team before the end of this seven-game homestand. Green said Tatis, who was hurt on April 28, still isn’t running at 100%.
UP NEXT
Pirates: RHP Jordan Lyles (3-1, 2.09 ERA), who pitched with San Diego for parts of the 2017 and 2018 seasons, is scheduled to start Friday night.
Padres: LHP Joey Lucchesi (3-2, 4.57) held the Pirates to one hit in five innings in a 4-3 victory at Petco Park on June 30.
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Greinke exits with abdominal tightness, D-backs rout Pirates
By JOSE M. ROMERO Associated Press
PHOENIX (AP) — Zack Greinke was cruising along when he felt something wrong. Taking no chances, the Arizona Diamondbacks ace called it a day.
Greinke pitched shutout ball into the eighth inning before exiting with abdominal tightness and the Diamondbacks routed Chris Archer and the Pittsburgh Pirates 11-1.
Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said Greinke would get an MRI on Friday. Arizona is off Thursday.
“It’s not too bad,” Greinke said. “Just didn’t seem like a good idea to try to push it.”
Greinke said the current situation seems less serious than the left oblique injury that cost him six weeks in 2016, though he thought about that at first.
“I just knew something was wrong and didn’t want to take the chance of hurting it more,” he said. “At first I thought it was an oblique thing, but it seems to be in a different spot.”
Greinke (6-1) allowed four hits in 7 2/3 innings, then walked off the mound with a trainer with a 2-2 count on Pirates reliever Chris Stratton. Greinke said he felt his injury during that at-bat.
“I’m always optimistic about things,” Lovullo said, admitting that if not for the injury he considered allowing Greinke to go after a complete game.
Greinke struck out five, walked none and kept up his recent run of success — he has a 1.09 ERA in his last six starts, allowing five earned runs in 41 1/3 innings. He also raised his scoreless innings streak against the Pirates to 21 1/3 innings.
“This is the most consistent that I’ve seen him. It’s angle of the fastball. It’s throwing fastballs to both sides of the plate, and he’s got three secondary pitches that he can throw at any time,” Lovullo said. “We get spoiled by him. We know that he’s extremely locked in right now.”
Blake Swihart hit a two-run, inside-the-park home run in the eighth, and Eduardo Escobar and Adam Jones also homered for the Diamondbacks, who went 6-1 against the Pirates this season. Jarrod Dyson had two hits, scored three runs and stole two bases.
Melky Cabrera drove in the Pirates’ run with a two-out single in the ninth.
Pirates pitcher Chris Archer’s first start since April 26, after which he went on the 10-day injured list with right thumb pain, didn’t go well. He walked the bases loaded in the first inning, and all three runners scored.
Archer (1-3) lasted just 3 2-3 innings, allowing six earned runs on four hits with four walks and a wild pitch.
Dyson came home on Ketel Marte’s soft single, Escobar scored on an error by third baseman Colin Moran and Nick Ahmed added a sacrifice fly to put Arizona ahead 3-0.
Archer rallied to strike out the side in the second inning, but the Diamondbacks plated four runs in the fourth, all with two outs.
“Poor. Very, very poor. I just didn’t have good command at all,” Archer said. “I don’t really know what to say other than that.
“They exploited my lack of control,” Archer added, saying his thumb did not affect him.
After Dyson’s single, Escobar hit his ninth homer of the season. Jones’ ninth homer curled inside the left-field foul pole and into the Diamondbacks bullpen in the fifth off Stratton.
“Home runs happen, but when you can score runs on some base hits, that’s when you know you’re offense is clicking,” Jones said.
Escobar doubled in Dyson for his third RBI of the game in the eighth. Swihart hit a long fly and when the ball caromed off the angled wall in right-center and eluded two outfielders, he scored standing up for his second career inside-the-park homer.
Josh Bell got two hits for the Pirates, extending his career-high hitting streak to 15 games.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Pirates: Archer’s return from injury led to the Pirates optioning RHP Clay Holmes to Triple-A Indianapolis. … OF Corey Dickerson (shoulder) is on track to throw long toss as soon as this weekend. … RHP Keone Kela (shoulder) could throw off a mound in the next few days.
Diamondbacks: OF David Peralta left the game after five innings with tightness on the right side of his upper back, replaced by Swihart in left field. Lovullo said he hopes some training room therapy will take care of Peralta’s issue. … RHP Taijuan Walker (elbow surgery) was scheduled to pitch four innings in an extended spring training game Wednesday at the team’s facility in nearby Scottsdale. But he threw just 17 pitches due to right shoulder soreness and was removed as a precaution, then had an MRI later Wednesday.
UP NEXT
Pirates: Pittsburgh begins a four-game series at San Diego on Thursday, with RHP Trevor Williams (2-1, 3.40 ERA) scheduled to start the opener. He’s pitched at least six innings in each of his eight starts this season.
Diamondbacks: RHP Merrill Kelly (3-4, 4.70 ERA) gets the ball at home on Friday against the San Francisco Giants, the opener of a three-game series. It’ll be his first career start against the Giants.
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Bell homers twice to lead Pirates past Diamondbacks 6-2
Be JOSE M. ROMERO Associated Press
PHOENIX (AP) — Josh Bell is on the best hitting streak of his career, and the Pittsburgh Pirates are along for the ride.
Bell homered twice and Joe Musgrove allowed one hit through seven strong innings as the Pirates beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-2 Tuesday night.
Phoenix native Cole Tucker hit a two-run homer in the top of the eighth inning to cap off the victory. The 22-year-old rookie gleefully circled the bases in front of a large gathering of family and friends, and received a hearty welcome from his teammates in the dugout.
The Pirates snapped a nine-game losing streak to the Diamondbacks that dated to last season. Pittsburgh has won four of its last five.
Bell is on a career-best 14-game hitting streak, and is batting .421 over that span with seven doubles, six home runs and 21 runs batted in, including the four he picked up Tuesday.
“Just trying to sync up fastballs, get on a starter’s fastball and understanding how guys are going to attack me and sell out to an approach and just go from there,” Bell said. “It feels like I’m living in a dream a little bit.”
Carson Kelly homered with two outs in the eighth and Adam Jones drove in David Peralta in the ninth to account for the Diamondbacks’ runs.
Starling Marte scored the game’s first run in the top of the third, hustling home from third base on Bell’s fielder’s choice. Bell’s fourth-inning homer to straightaway center off Arizona starter Luke Weaver came with two out and Gregory Polanco on base.
The only hit Musgrove (2-4) allowed was a fourth-inning single to Eduardo Escobar. He struck out five and walked two after allowing 13 total earned runs in his previous two starts.
“We’ve lost a lot of games to these guys consecutively, so it feels good to be the guy to come in and put a stop to that,” Musgrove said. “The bounce-back outings are really important.”
Bell had his second multi-home run game in 10 days. His second homer landed high up in the seats in right field and came on the first pitch of the eighth inning by Diamondbacks reliever Zack Godley.
Bell raised his season home run total to a team-best 12.
Tucker’s second home run of the season was a two-run shot off Godley that just cleared the fence in right field. In between innings, the Pirates’ position players stayed in the dugout briefly to let Tucker run out to shortstop by himself while the crowd behind the Pittsburgh dugout cheered.
Melky Cabrera had three hits for the Pirates, and is 28 for 63 with a.444 average in 15 career games at Chase Field. Marte added a pair of doubles.
“Just a fun night for the Buccos,” manager Clint Hurdle said. “Bell is just mauling the ball.”
Diamondbacks starter Luke Weaver (3-2) allowed three runs on seven hits in six innings. Arizona has lost four of five.
“We couldn’t get anything going offensively,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “Their starting pitcher was effective with early count pitches and kind of beating us to the spot.”
TUCKER’S TIME
Tucker was still giddy in the visiting clubhouse after the game about his home run at the ballpark he grew up going to for Diamondbacks games.
“It was nuts, man. I couldn’t even play it cool. I tried to, but the 12-year-old in me came out and I was just smiling and cheesing and laughing,” Tucker said. “Literally audibly laughing. I couldn’t have drawn it up any better.”
Tucker homered in his major-league debut earlier this season, and his second homer came in his hometown. He was incredulous to hear that Diamondbacks legend and Hall-of-Famer Randy Johnson was at the game in the broadcast booth, and said that to hit a home run at Chase Field “means the world to me.”
“I always dreamed about winning baseball games in this stadium,” he said. “It was really fun to do that tonight.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Pirates: OF-IF Lonnie Chisenhall (calf strain) began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday.
UP NEXT
Pirates: RHP Chris Archer (1-2, 4.33 earned run average) is expected to be reinstated from the 10-day injured list for his sixth start of the season Wednesday afternoon against Arizona. He’s been dealing with thumb pain in his throwing hand.
Diamondbacks: RHP Zack Greinke (5-1, 3.16 ERA) takes the mound against the Pirates needing nine strikeouts to reach 2,500 in his career.
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Bell has 5 RBIs, Pirates take 3rd straight from Cards, 10-6
By STEVE OVERBEY Associated Press
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Josh Bell put on a show for his mom on Mother’s Day.
With his mother Myrtle in the stands at Busch Stadium, Bell homered and drove in a career-high five runs to lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 10-6 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday.
Adam Frazier added a two-run, tiebreaking pinch-hit double as the Pirates scored five times in the seventh inning and twice in the eighth to rally from a 6-3 deficit.
Pittsburgh has won six of eight, including the final three of its four-game series at St. Louis.
Pirates manager Clint Hurdle had warned Bell that he’d better come through.
“Jokingly, before the game, I said, ‘You need to do something special for Myrtle,'” Hurdle said. “He said, ‘Yeah, I’ve got this.'”
Bell went 4-for-4, extending his hitting streak to a major league-best 12 games. He reached base five times, including an intentional walk, and is 20-for-49 (.408) during the streak with four homers and 16 RBIs.
“It was awesome,” Bell said. “It’s one of those scenarios where I know my mom would be just as excited to watch me play if I go 0-for-4. To be able to celebrate the win with (her) watching, it’s unbelievable.”
Myrtle lives in Louisiana and travels to see her son play at least once a month.
“His work ethic is one of the best I’ve ever seen,” Pittsburgh infielder Kevin Newman said. “He’s in the cage all the time. He works his tail off on defense. I couldn’t be any happier for him.”
Bell’s three-run homer off John Brebbia (1-2) in the seventh tied the game at 6-6. Francisco Cervelli, who had three hits, followed with a double, Melky Cabrera drew a walk and then Frazier smacked a two-run double to right.
Paul Goldschmidt and José Martínez homered for the Cardinals, who have lost five of six and nine of 11.
Chris Stratton (1-2), acquired from the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday, worked a scoreless sixth for the win.
Brebbia (1-2) gave up three runs on three hits in one inning.
“When you make bad pitches to guys who are taking good swings, it’s not going to be good,” Brebbia said.
Colin Moran added two-run double in the eighth to conclude the scoring.
After the Pirates scored three times in the first, Goldschmidt hit a two-run homer off Steven Brault in the bottom half to start a four-run outburst.
Martínez, who went 3-for-5, had a two-run homer in the third. Bryan Reynolds made a leaping catch in the ninth to rob him of a possible second homer.
St. Louis starter Dakota Hudson gave up three runs on nine hits over six innings.
Brault, making his second start of the season, lasted 3 2/3 innings. He gave up six runs on nine hits.
Goldschmidt, who was 9-for-17 in the series, snapped an 18-game streak without a home run.
“We obviously haven’t won as many games as we’ve wanted to the last 10 or 11 games,” Goldschmidt said. “The focus is just to go out there and win the next one.”
FULL HOUSE
The crowd was announced at 48,555, the largest in the history of the new Busch Stadium, which opened in 2006. It was St. Louis’ fourth sellout of the season.
ON THE WAY BACK
Cardinals right-hander Carlos Martínez threw a scoreless inning on Friday for Triple-A Memphis. He has not given up a run in three rehab appearances covering three innings. Martínez has not pitched in the majors this season because of a right shoulder cuff strain.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Pirates: RHP Nick Burdi was transferred to the 60-day injured list. He has pain in his right biceps.
Cardinals: INF Matt Carpenter was held out of the starting lineup for a day of rest. He walked as pinch-hitter in the eighth.
UP NEXT
Pirates: RHP Nick Kingham (1-0, 5.94 ERA) will start in the opener of a three-game series at Arizona on Monday night. Kingham, who has nine appearances as a reliever and one as a starter this season, is 5-7 in 16 lifetime starts.
Cardinals: RHP Jack Flaherty (3-3, 4.32) will face Atlanta RHP Mike Foltynewicz (0-2, 5.94) as the teams begin a three-game series Tuesday. The Cardinals were shut out in each of Flaherty’s last two starts.
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Ozuna, Fowler lead Cardinals in 17-4 rout of Pirates
By STEVE OVERBEY Associated Press
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Dexter Fowler came up with a novel idea to help the Cardinals break out of their hitting slump.
The St. Louis outfielder took several players and their wives to a karaoke bar following a season-low, three-hit performance in a shutout loss to Philadelphia on Wednesday. Turns out, Fowler’s plan apparently hit all the right notes.
He drove in three runs, Marcell Ozuna had four RBIs and the Cardinals cruised to a 17-4 rout of the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday night.
“Everybody was good,” Fowler said of the singing performances by the group that included Yadier Molina, Adam Wainwright and Luke Gregersen — who was surprisingly the best of the bunch, according to the outfielder.
“We’ll have to do it again,” Fowler said. “Round 2.”
St. Louis manager Mike Shildt said he had never sung karaoke, but might give it a try next time, especially if the team keeps hitting like it did after the players’ latest outing.
Paul Goldschmidt reached base four times and had three hits and two RBIs for the Cardinals, who managed just one run in their previous 21 innings but bounced back with 16 hits and recorded a season high in runs.
St. Louis, which won for just the second time in eight games, sent nine or more batters to the plate three times over the first six innings.
The 17-run output is the most for the Cardinals since an 18-5 win over the Chicago Cubs on July 20, 2018.
“Just consistent, good at-bats throughout the game,” Goldschmidt said. “Getting to the postseason, you’re going to have to do it consistently well every night. Tonight’s good, but it’s just one win.”
Gregory Polanco homered and drove in three runs for the Pirates, who lost their second in a row after winning five of six.
Fowler broke a 1-1 tie with a two-run, ground-rule double that highlighted a four-run, second-inning surge for the Cardinals.
“We’ve been taking some good at-bats, but our luck wasn’t there the last few days,” Fowler said. “(Tonight) everybody was swinging the bat well. You just try and keep that train moving.”
St. Louis sent 10 to the plate in a five-run fourth inning that pushed its lead to 11-2. Jose Martinez drew a bases-loaded walk, Molina hit an RBI single and Kolten Wong had a run-scoring double. Pirates first baseman Josh Bell also had a fielding error that allowed two runs to score in the inning.
Shildt was impressed that his team was able to get the job done without a home run — just 10 singles and six doubles.
“It was good to see everybody in the lineup taking good approaches,” Shildt said. “We’re at our best when we’re doing damage in a lot of different ways.”
Michael Wacha (3-0) allowed four runs and nine hits over 5 2/3 innings to pick up his first win in three starts for the Cardinals.
Joe Musgrove (1-4) lasted just three innings for Pirates, giving up eight runs and six hits.
“Those guys were really aggressive early in the count. Not punching out a lot, not trying to get themselves in hole,” Musgrove said.
Pittsburgh took a short-lived 1-0 lead on a solo homer by Polanco in the first.
The Pirates’ Melky Cabrera had a 12-game hitting streak snapped with an 0-for-4 performance.
WALKING WOUNDED
The Pirates have had a league-high 18 players placed on the disabled list so far this season. The New York Yankees are second with 16, followed by Washington (12) and San Diego (12).
MARTINEZ ON THE WAY
St. Louis right-hander Carlos Martinez tossed a solid inning at Triple-A Memphis on Wednesday and could return to the major league roster in, 10 to 14 days, according to Shildt.
“We have a plan in place,” Shildt said. “He’s pitching well and recovering well.”
Martinez, who has yet to pitch in the majors this season due to right shoulder soreness, did not allow a run in a one-inning, 23-pitch stint against Iowa. He walked two and struck out one.
Shildt said Martinez will remain at Memphis for the time being and is likely to make several more appearances.
TRAINER’S ROOM:
Pirates: RHP Keone Kela was placed on the 10-day injury list with right shoulder inflammation. The move was retroactive to Monday.
UP NEXT
St. Louis RHP Adam Wainwright (3-3, 4.71) will face RHP Trevor Williams (1-1, 3.74) in the second of the four-game series Friday. Wainwright is 13-7 with a 4.45 ERA in 32 lifetime starts against the Pirates. Williams has pitched at least six innings in all seven of his starts this season.
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