By Zachary McMahon-
The Pittsburgh Pirates played the series finale against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday afternoon at Chase Field in Phoenix, AZ. The Pirates were trying to avoid a sweep after the Diamondbacks took the first two games among a four-game winning streak for the fourth time this season. The Pirates entered the game losing four out of the last six games after winning the previous six games, and eight of the previous nine games.
Pirates shortstop Nick Gonzales was put on the 10-day injured list with left groin discomfort, so they recalled Alika Williams from Triple-A Indianapolis for his first action since May 29 in the 8-0 shutout loss to the Detroit Tigers.
Mitch Keller pitched for the Bucs as he tossed seven innings, allowing two hits, earned runs and walks each with six strikeouts. Yilber Diaz tossed five innings for the D-Backs allowing just one hit with four walks, and a career high seven strikeouts in his fourth career start.
Andrew McCutchen lead off with a single in the first which is his 1,639th hit with the Pirates, and it’s 10th all time over Hall of famer Fred Clarke who had 1,638. Ninth on the list is Arky Vaughn who had 1,709 hits for the Pirates from 1932-1941.
Jake McCarthy brought home Joc Pederson on an RBI triple in the fourth for the first run of the game for the D-Backs as McCarthy ties his career high of five triples and he had got a hit in six out of the last seven plate appearances after a 5-for-5 night on Saturday, and Eugenio Suarez brought home McCarthy on a sacrifice fly as the D-Backs were leading 2-0 at the end of the fourth. McCarthy has been on-base in 13 out of his last 16 games.
O’Neill Cruz hit a solo shot to right with his 17th of the season in the sixth, which ties a career high that he had in 2022, his first full season in the league after debuting in 2021. This also tied the third-most home runs by a Pirates primary shortstop in a season, which is Cruz himself, and he is behind Glenn Wright who hit 18 in 1925, and 19 by Vaughn in 1935.
The homer was off Joe Mantiply who relieved Diaz in the sixth. Mantiply had not allowed a home run since Aug. 8, 2023 against the Los Angeles Dodgers, in which he has lasted 59.2 innings without a homer, which is the second longest streak behind Cionel Perez of the Baltimore Orioles who has pitched 64.2 innings without allowing a homer. Mantiply allowed a single to Connor Joe, and then Joshua Palacios grounded into a fielder’s choice, which is when Kevin Ginkel went to finish the inning, which resulted in a double play grounded by Ke’Bryan Hayes.
A.J Puk pitched in his second straight game for the D-Backs since being acquired in a trade with the Miami Marlins on Friday, and struck out all three batters in the seventh, as in Michael Taylor (pinch hitting for Jared Swinski), Jared Triolo, and Ji-Wan Bae. This was his 15th consecutive scoreless appearance for Puk (17 innings).
Joey Bart tied it up, pinch hitting for Taylor with an RBI double in the ninth with Williams, who pinch-ran for Rowdy Telllez hit a double, pinch hitting for Connor Joe. Aroldis Chapman shut down the D-Backs retiring all three batters, and the teams went into extra innings.
The Pirates went off for four runs in the top of the 10th, with Triolo as the automatic runner at second base, Bae hit a bunt single, Yasmani Grandal walked, and Andrew McCutchen grounded into a fielder’s choice with Triolo out at home. However it turned disastrous with a Justin Martinez wild pitch that brought Bae home. With Grandal at third, and McCutchen at second, Cruz was intentionally walked to try to force a double play, and to avoid any more damage from Cruz, who had already hit a homer at that point, but that wouldn’t work as Martinez hits Williams by pitch with the bases loaded, and gives the Pirates a two-run lead.
At that point, the D-Backs put in Bryce Jarvis to finish the inning, but allowed a two-run single by Hayes, gave a walk to Bart, but got him out at second on a fielder’s choice by Triolo to end the inning.
The D-Backs almost came back against Colin Holderman with homers by Eugenio Suarez and Loudres Gurriel Jr.. The one by Suarez was controversial because Palacios who was at left field at the time (he started in right),due to a fan reaching for the ball before he could have an opportunity to rob the two-run homer, but the call stood as a homer. But, even after a triple by Corbin Carroll, who was the tying run, the winning run Geraldo Perdomo was the last groundout of the inning, as the Bucs survived the D-Backs 6-5 in 10 innings.
Ketel Marte snapped a streak of five straight games with an RBI, as he grounded out his only plate appearance as a pinch hitter for designated hitter Joc Pederson. Suarez, who also walked in the second, has reached twice in each of his last four games.
The seven walks issued to the Pirates in the game made it the 70th straight game that the Pirates have drawn a walk, and it’s the seventh time this season that they drew seven walks with the last being on May 12 against the Chicago Cubs. The seven walks tied for the second most drawn walks in a season, in which they drew eight in the win on March 28 against the Miami Marlins. The Pirates are 5-3 when they draw seven or more walks in a game this season. The longest streak in the season is their inner-state rival the Philadelphia Phillies who has a streak of 75 games between April 15 to July 9.
The bunt single in the tenth was Bae’s first hit since being recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis after Bryan Reynolds was put on the bereavement list.
The Pirates will have Paul Skenes in their hands when they travel to Houston to face the Astros for a three-game series on Monday, while the D-Backs will have the Washington Nationals at home with Jordan Montgomery going up against Michael Parker on Monday at 9:40 pm.
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