Pirates’ Oneil Cruz Shines in 3-0 Victory Over Twins
The Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Minnesota Twins 3-0 on Friday night, highlighted by Mitch Keller’s six scoreless innings and Oneil Cruz’s home run for the second consecutive game.
Keller (8-3) allowed seven hits, struck out eight, and walked two over six innings, extending his streak of pitching at least five innings to 44 games, the longest current streak in MLB. During his six-game winning streak, Keller has posted a 1.13 ERA, giving up only five runs in 39 2/3 innings. This makes him the first Pirates pitcher to win six consecutive starts since Gerrit Cole in 2015.
Keller expressed his admiration for being compared to Cole, stating, “Anything being mentioned with Gerrit is pretty cool. He’s someone I look up to, so that’s pretty cool. Good rhythm. I’m trying to keep it going. Probably more crisp now that it’s warming up. I just feel a little bit better each time out.”
The Pirates’ bullpen was stellar, with Aroldis Chapman, Colin Holderman, and David Bednar each pitching a scoreless inning. Bednar earned his 13th save in 16 opportunities, as the Pirates recorded their third shutout of the season and their third win in four games. Bednar praised the bullpen’s teamwork, saying, “It’s kind of like handing the ball off, just passing the baton. It’s been really cool watching those guys work. They’re nasty.”
Cruz launched a 422-foot home run off Joe Ryan (4-5) in the second inning, his ninth of the season, following his 462-foot homer the previous night against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Pirates manager Derek Shelton commented on Cruz’s power, “Any time a guy hits a ball that high, that far, you definitely step back. We know when Oneil’s in the right spot mechanically, he has the ability to really impact the baseball, and we’ve seen that the last two nights.”
Connor Joe added to the lead with a solo home run in the eighth inning, making it 3-0. Bryan Reynolds contributed with a double in the fourth inning and scored on Nick Gonzales’ sacrifice fly, Gonzales’ 23rd RBI in 25 games since his call-up from Triple-A Indianapolis.
Joe Ryan pitched well for the Twins, allowing two runs and two hits over seven innings with eight strikeouts and two walks. Despite his strong performance, the Twins suffered their fourth consecutive loss after being swept by the New York Yankees. Twins manager praised Ryan, “He was really efficient. He was really good. He was in control of all his pitches.”
Trevor Larnach, Carlos Correa, Jose Miranda, and Byron Buxton each had two hits for the Twins, who were shut out for the fourth time this season. The Twins loaded the bases with one out in the fifth but failed to score as Keller struck out Royce Lewis and Max Kepler, ending Lewis’ nine-game hitting streak.
Twins assistant hitting coach Derek Shomon was ejected in the fifth inning by plate umpire Paul Clemons for arguing a called strike on Correa.
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