Bell hits 2 of Pirates’ 4 homers in 7-2 win vs Padres
By BERNIE WILSON AP Sports Writer
SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates jumped on rookie lefty Nick Margevicius for a season home run milestone Saturday night.
Josh Bell homered twice and drove in four, rookie Bryan Reynolds connected for the second straight night and the Pirates had their first four-homer game of the season in beating the San Diego Padres 7-2.
Margevicius (2-5) allowed the four homers in four-plus innings.
“It was a really good day for us at the ballpark,” manager Clint Hurdle said. “A lot of guys contributed.”
Bell has three career multihomer games, all in his last 14 games. He also had two homers against Oakland on May 4 and at Arizona on Tuesday. He’s homered 14 times this year.
The switch-hitter homered to left leading off the second, followed by Reynolds’ shot, also to left. Bell homered to left-center with one out in the third, with Adam Frazier aboard on a single and Starling Marte on a double.
“That right-handed swing is stronger than we’ve seen it in the past, evident by the swings today,” Hurdle said. “Both those balls were hit very, very well. It’s two more homers than he hit all last year, and it’s just past the middle of May.”
Padres manager Andy Green said Margevicius’ fastball “was leaking on him from the beginning. I think that Josh Bell’s second home run was a pitch we wanted out of the zone for sure, and he left it in the middle of the plate for him.”
Reynolds has three homers, including one in Friday night’s 5-3 victory.
Polanco lined a homer to right leading off the fifth, his fourth, to chase Margevicius.
Bell and Elias Diaz each had three hits.
Pittsburgh used an opener for the first time, with rookie righty Montana DuRapau holding San Diego to one hit in two scoreless innings while striking out four and walking one. He was making his first big league start and fifth appearance. He was a 32nd-round selection — the 971st pick overall — in the 2014 draft and made his major league debut May 9.
After allowing Hunter Renfroe’s single to open the second, DuRapau struck out rookie Ty France, Wil Myers and Austin Hedges.
Steven Brault (1-1), who played at Grossmont High in suburban El Cajon, replaced DuRapau and allowed two runs and four hits in 3 1/3 innings.
“It was really cool” pitching at home, Brault said. “There was a lot of emotion. Last year I pitched here and didn’t pitch very long. This year to be able to come in, that first inning was a nightmare but this has been my year so far. To do it in San Diego was cool, with my friends and family all here was great.”
Brault allowed an RBI single by Manny Machado with one out in the third and then got out of a bases-loaded jam by getting Renfroe to hit into a double play. He also allowed an RBI single by rookie Austin Allen in the sixth. It was Allen’s first big league RBI.
“I wasn’t very sharp in the first inning and then got much better after that, and I think that’s maybe having to bear down more, like I’m coming in from the bullpen,” Brault said. “All the pitchers, the whole staff did really well tonight and it’s nice when the offense scores five runs for you early.”
Margevicius allowed six runs and eight hits in four-plus innings, struck out two and walked one.
He has three losses and a no-decision in his last four starts.
“I’ve been falling behind in counts,” Margevicius said. “Definitely part of the last game and this game, falling behind has not been good for me.”
KINSLER’S FINE
Warstic, a bat company co-owned by Padres second baseman Ian Kinsler, advertised a 20 percent off sale on Twitter and Instagram on Saturday to help raise funds to pay the fine levied against him by MLB for using profanity after hitting a three-run homer Thursday night. The promo code was FLIPOFF20, perhaps a reference to Kinsler’s bat flip after the homer. Kinsler said he used profanity to fire up his teammates, although many fans felt it was directed at him. The Twitter and Instagram posts were later deleted. According to Bleacher Report, Kinsler was fined between $7,500 and $10,000. He’s making $3.75 million this season as part of an $8 million, two-year deal. MLB declined to confirm the fine amount.
UP NEXT
Pirates: RHP Joe Musgrove (2-4, 3.59), who also pitched at Grossmont High, is scheduled to start the series finale Sunday. He beat the Padres 1-0 at Petco Park on June 29, striking out five in seven innings.
Padres: Rookie RHP Cal Quantrill (0-1, 3.60) will rejoin the team to make his third career start. He made his most recent start on May 1 and optioned to Triple-A El Paso on May 7.
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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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Pence pinch-hit slam, Rangers rally past Pirates 9-6
By ALAN SAUNDERS Associated Press
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Hunter Pence connected for a pinch-hit grand slam in the eighth inning and Isiah Kiner-Falefa drove in the go-ahead run in the ninth as the Texas Rangers rallied past the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-6 on Wednesday.
The Rangers trailed 6-2 before three walks by reliever Michael Feliz loaded the bases for Pence. He sent the first pitch off the foul pole in left field to the tie it.
Kiner-Falefa doubled off Tyler Lyons (1-1) and an offline relay throw allowed Nomar Mazara to score. Rougned Odor followed with a two-run homer.
Ariel Jurado (1-1) worked the eighth and got the ball to Chris Martin, who earned his first save of the season and first since 2015.
Joey Gallo gave Texas the early lead with a two-run shot that bounced off the concourse beyond the right-center field wall and landed in the Allegheny River. The estimated 443-foot blast was Gallo’s 100th career home run in his 377th game, making him the fastest player to 100 homers in American League history.
Pirates first baseman Josh Bell’s estimated 472-foot drive tied the game in the fourth inning and is the fourth ever to reach the river on a fly. It was his ninth home run of the season after hitting 12 in 2018.
Gregory Polanco drove two with a single in the sixth. Kevin Newman stole second and scored on two errors ahead of Colin Moran’s pinch-hit home run in the seventh.
Texas starter Shelby Miller struck out six over his four innings, and allowed only the Bell homer.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Rangers: 1B Ronald Guzmán (right hamstring strain) is expected to come off the injured list on Thursday. He’s been out since April 7.
Pirates: The Pittsburgh Pirates put RHP Keone Kela on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to May 6, with right shoulder inflammation. … RHP Nick Burdi was diagnosed with a nerve injury after leaving the game in obvious pain on April 22. He’ll be re-assessed after six weeks of rest. . RHP Chris Archer (right thumb irritation) is scheduled to throw a simulated game on Friday.
UP NEXT
Rangers: LHP Mike Minor (3-2, 2.40 ERA) will start a four-game series at Houston. He threw seven scoreless against the Astros on April 3.
Pirates: RHP Joe Musgrove (1-3, 2.63) will start a season-long 11-game road trip in St. Louis on Friday. He made his shortest start of the season on May 3, when he allowed seven runs in 2 2/3 innings against Oakland.
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Vázquez gets revenge on Gallo, Pirates nip Rangers 5-4
By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Felipe Vázquez doesn’t let his failures linger. That wouldn’t help the Pittsburgh Pirates closer be any good at his job. Still, he wanted another shot at Texas slugger Joey Gallo. Getting touched for a 467-foot home run will do that.
So when setup man Kyle Crick hit a batter with two outs in the eighth on Tuesday night and the Pirates nursing a one-run lead, Vázquez knew if everything went right, he’d see Gallo as the last man up.
The outcome this time was different. Far different. Three pitches. Three strikes. The last two both clocked at 101 mph, followed by a fist pump, a smile and the obligatory jab to catcher Francisco Cervelli’s chest in celebration after the Pirates escaped with a 5-4 win.
“My turn,” Vázquez said after picking up his 10th save. “He got me once. He’s not going to get me twice. I knew as soon as Crick hit that guy, I was like, ‘Yeah.’ I wanted him to be up for sure. I wanted to get a little revenge in here.”
Gallo’s moon shot in the 11th last Tuesday didn’t spoil Pittsburgh’s 6-4 win, and the hard-throwing All-Star tried to play it off in the aftermath, tweeting he thought it might go “500 feet.”
“You’ve got to have fun,” Vázquez said. “You cannot get frustrated. At least me. I’m a closer. I can’t get frustrated. I cannot carry all that to my next start.”
Vázquez’s emphatic strikeout ended the only perfect inning for Pittsburgh’s bullpen. The Pirates relied on spot starter Steven Brault and six relievers to win for the fifth time in six games. Brault lasted four innings while filling in for injured Chris Archer. Michael Feliz (1-0) pitched a scoreless fifth and the Pirates survived to improve to 16-5 in their last 21 interleague games.
“It’s a night we were tough enough,” Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. “We had enough pitches.”
POLANCO PRODUCES
Pittsburgh right fielder Gregory Polanco sent a two-run shot to the first row of seats in right-center off Adrian Sampson (0-2) in the fifth, his first since dislocating his left shoulder in an awkward slide last September.
Polanco underwent surgery shortly after mangling his shoulder on Sept. 4. He returned a bit earlier than expected and is still working to rediscover the power that led him to hit a career-high 23 home runs in 2018. He entered Tuesday hitting .250 with one RBI in 10 games and spent the pregame focusing on using his lower body more to compensate for a left shoulder he admitted is still “weak.”
Polanco singled in his first at-bat — before getting caught stealing at second, though his slide was just fine — and lined out to right in the third. In the fifth, he turned on a pitch from Sampson to put Pittsburgh ahead 5-2.
“I knew it wasn’t going to be like right away because obviously this is not 100 percent,” Polanco said while touching his shoulder. “This is still weak. But, you know, it’s getting there. It’s getting there.”
HOT HUNTER
Hunter Pence drove in all four runs for Texas, doubling twice and adding his fourth home run. The rest of the Rangers went 2 for 27. Texas stranded eight runners and went 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position. Manager Chris Woodward could start giving Pence more opportunities going forward. The 36-year-old is now hitting .333 with 17 RBIs while serving as part of an outfield rotation.
“We definitely need to find a way to get him in there more often,” Woodward said. “He deserves playing time. He really does. Obviously, I think everybody is taking notice.”
LECLERC BOUNCES BACK
The Rangers took José Leclerc out of the closer’s role last week after he blew a save against the Pirates. He threw a shutout inning of relief in Toronto over the weekend and allowed just one baserunner in two innings of work on Tuesday.
“To see José get two scoreless, it’s really cool to see him having success,” Woodward said. “I feel pretty confident that not too long from now, he’s going to be back in his role that he had.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Pirates: RHP Archer (right thumb inflammation) did some flat-ground work on Tuesday but remains out indefinitely. … RHP Keone Kela sat out his second straight game with right shoulder soreness.
UP NEXT
Rangers: Shelby Miller (1-2, 7.99 ERA) has allowed four runs in each of his last five starts heading into Wednesday’s series finale. He took the loss against Pittsburgh last week, surrendering four runs in 3 1/3 innings.
Pirates: Nick Kingham (1-0, 6.39) makes his first start of the season, filling in for Archer. Kingham went 5-7 with a 5.32 ERA in 15 starts as a rookie in 2018.
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Marte hits 3-run homer in 13th, Pirates rally past A’s 5-3
By CHRIS MUELLER Associated Press
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Starling Marte hit a game-ending three-run homer in the 13th inning, rallying the Pittsburgh Pirates past Oakland 5-3 on Sunday after the Athletics scored twice in the top of the inning.
Cole Tucker started Pittsburgh’s comeback with a one-out single off Fernando Rodney (0-2). Jung Ho Kang walked and Adam Frazier drove in Tucker with a single before Marte drilled a ball out to center.
Tyler Lyons (1-0) got the win despite struggling in his Pirates debut. After pitching a 1-2-3 12th, he walked the first two batters in the 13th and allowed an RBI single to Kendrys Morales and a run-scoring double to Stephen Piscotty before getting pitcher Yusmeiro Petit to hit into an inning-ending double play.
A’s slugger Khris Davis, last year’s major league home run leader, left in the second inning with a left hip bruise after crashing into the left field wall chasing a popup.
The Pirates improved to 6-2 in extra-inning games and 6-1 in interleague play. They are above .500 at 16-15 for the first time since April 25.
Pittsburgh starter Jordan Lyles gave up one run and five hits over 6 2/3 innings. Lyles looked more like the pitcher that began the season tossing 11 scoreless innings in his first two home starts and less like the one holding a 6.00 ERA over his previous two outings.
The teams were tied 1-1 going into extras. Pittsburgh got on the board in the second when Josh Bell doubled and scored on Colin Moran’s sacrifice fly. A’s pinch-hitter Robbie Grossman tied it in the seventh with a single.
Lyles faced a jam in the fifth after he walked three consecutive batters with two outs but forced Ramon Laureano to ground into a forceout at second.
The Pirates had a golden opportunity with runners on first and third with zero outs in the sixth but couldn’t capitalize as Gregory Polanco flied out, Bell struck out and Melky Cabrera lined out to end the inning.
Oakland starter Frankie Montas allowed a run and five hits over six innings. He struck out five while lowering his ERA to 2.75.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Pirates: Keone Kela was not available to pitch after exiting Saturday’s game with right shoulder tightness. General manager Neal Huntington said Kela will be evaluated Monday.
UP NEXT
Athletics: The A’s return home for a three-game series against Cincinnati on Tuesday, where Mike Fiers (2-3, 6.81) will take the mound coming off a solid seven-inning outing against Toronto on April 26.
Pirates: Steven Brault will get the start Tuesday against Texas in place of Jameson Taillion, who was ruled out for a month Saturday with an elbow flexor tendon strain. This season, Brault has an 8.31 ERA with 11 strikeouts over 8 2/3 innings of work out of the bullpen.
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