Pirates avoid sweep with critical extra-innings victoryPirates avoid sweep with critical extra-innings victory

Pirates avoid sweep with critical extra-innings victory 17 minutes ago Jesse Borek @JesseABorek Share share-square-340052 PHOENIX — For eight innings, it appeared as if the somber tone set by second baseman Nick Gonzales landing on the injured list pregame would hang over the Pirates in Sunday’s matinee against the D-backs. But a pair of timely
Pirates avoid sweep with critical extra-innings victoryPirates avoid sweep with critical extra-innings victory

Pirates avoid sweep with critical extra-innings victory

17 minutes ago

PHOENIX — For eight innings, it appeared as if the somber tone set by second baseman Nick Gonzales landing on the injured list pregame would hang over the Pirates in Sunday’s matinee against the D-backs. But a pair of timely pinch-hit doubles in the ninth from Rowdy Tellez and Joey Bart sparked a 6-5 comeback win at Chase Field that propelled the club back above .500 ahead of a crucial 48-hour stretch prior to the Trade Deadline.

With the win, arguably the biggest of the season considering the team’s standing, the Pirates sit two games behind the Mets for the final National League Wild Card spot.

That all-in, all-out, everyone-contributes approach was personified by Jared Triolo, who drew the start at second base for Gonzales, just to head out to right field after a flurry of moves stemming from the ninth. Playing his first inning at the position since his freshman year at the University of Houston in 2017, Triolo laid out to make a grab that was confirmed by replay review to send the game to extra innings.

Pittsburgh pushed across four runs in the top of the 10th courtesy of a wild pitch, a bases-loaded hit by pitch of Alika Williams and a two-RBI single by Ke’Bryan Hayes. With David Bednar having worked a scoreless eighth with the club trailing, Colin Holderman was tabbed to get the final three outs.

Mitch Keller set the tone on the hill, spinning seven frames of two-hit, two-run ball. His start was his 10th this year throwing to catcher Yasmani Grandal, with whom he has been in lock step to the tune of a 2.64 ERA over those outings.

Oneil Cruz supplied another eye-popping roundtripper in the sixth, a solo shot that delivered 6.66 seconds of hangtime, the 20th-longest a homer has stayed up in the air this season across the Majors.

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