PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – After a game that took over three hours, 24 runs and 340 combined pitches, Sunday afternoon was like they were playing a different sport. It came down to two outs in the eighth inning when Oneil Cruz delivered a single to center scoring Konnor Griffin for the only run in a 1-0 Pirates win over the Reds completing a three-game sweep.
Starter Chase Burns had started the eighth inning, but after giving up an opposite field single to Marcell Ozuna was pulled for reliever Tony Santillan. The big righty got Spencer Horwitz to ground into a double play, but the Pirates rallied.
Griffin hit a 406-foot double to center hitting off the top of the wall. Pinch-hitter Jake Mangum walked and on a 1-2 count with two outs Cruz lined a ball 103.8mph a little left of center scoring the Pirates rookie who slid in a step or two ahead of the tag.
“It was awesome,” said manager Don Kelly of Cruz’s at bat. “When the first few pitches, looked like backdoor sliders, and for him to be able to stay on top of the fastball and drive it to left center, not try to do too much, knew we just needed a base hit right there, and it was a great at-bat.”
“It feels really good to be able to bring the winning run it and also not just get the win, but get the win against a division team,” Cruz said. “It feels really good.”
The first Pirates runner past second base on Sunday was Griffin with the game-winner.
"Just got a good pitch,” Griffin said of his double. “Got a good barrel on it, and I saw it go off the top of the wall again. That was a cool moment, trying to get to second. Got great guys behind me [who] support me easy and won a game. So that was pretty cool."
In the top of the eighth inning, Pirates starter Braxton Ashcraft allowed his first runner to third base with one out. Following a weak grounder where third baseman Nick Gonzales got the out at home, Ashcraft was pulled after 82 pitches.
“I was a little bit frustrated coming out of it, like I completely understood the situation,” Ashcraft said. “I had my moment of frustration come on and went back out to pick him up and watch him do his job. It's one of those things, if I don't give up a double to Friedl earlier in the game, there's probably a different situation, if I don't give up a hit ... the only person to blame there is myself."
“Oh, man, he was unbelievable,” Kelly said. “To have the stuff he had, be as efficient as he was. Honestly, extremely tough decision there in the eighth to have to go get him.”
Kelly brought in veteran left-handed reliever Gregory Soto to face left-hander TJ Friedl with runners at the corners and two outs. Soto came in with a .115 batting average against which was tied for the best in the majors. Friedl laced the first pitch down the right field line, but foul. The pair battled to a 3-2 count and Soto got the strikeout swinging on a ball in the dirt.
The lefty would stay for the entire ninth inning, even though Kelly came out to the mound with two outs, but stayed with Soto.
“We knew the success that he had,” Kelly said of bringing in Soto. “We knew they were probably going to pinch hit Myers for him, and he had success against him. Elly this year has been better against right-handed pitching; historically, not as much. And then the one with Stewart was tough, but knowing Lowe was behind, and they may pinch-hit there, having Santana up in the 'pen for Lowe.”
“He was confident. He knew he could get him.”
After giving up six runs in 4.1 innings in his last start, Ashcraft with 7.2 shutout innings with six strikeouts.
“We knew he was going to pitch well,” said catcher Joey Bart. “I think everybody around here and across the league thinks really highly of this guy. I think he’s a real, real threat to the league and he’s showing everybody that. Just keep it moving in the right direction and keep it going.”
Reds starter Chase Burns was Ashcraft’s equal Sunday afternoon, 7 innings, 3 hits, no runs, a walk and 7 strikeouts.
ABS
Top of the 8th against Matt McLain Bart helped in a crucial at bat with a good eye. Bart called for ABS challenges on back-to-back pitches and got a pair of balls overturned into strikes in an at bat McLain grounded into the force out at home.
“It was the same pitch,” Bart said. “The hardest one to call for an AB is a backup curveball up and in, it’s the hardest one to hit. It’s the best pitch in the game. The first one landed there, I thought it was there. I think it was the same thing again, I ripped it again and luckily in those situations we can come out with those challenges.”
“Always in those challenges, the bigger the situation you are always trying to pull a challenge there, regardless. If you think it’s close, you kind of rip it there just because there is so much momentum swinging in the game late. I’m glad they were in the zone.”
“Yeah, huge challenges right there,” Kelly said. “And that was a big moment in the game. I think that, especially for Joey, to be able to challenge back-to-back pitches, that's hard to do in the moment, to go right back to back, but it was great. He did a real nice job.”
Series win
“I think it’s that toughness and the grit that we’ve got, the way that we compete,” Kelly said of the sweep after being swept by St. Louis. “They’re not letting the day before affect them in how they go about it every single day. That’s really cool to see, the leadership in the clubhouse taking shape and how they hold each other accountable. To be able to go out and compete like that, it’s fun to watch.”
Notes
- The teams combined to leave nine runners on base (five of those in the eighth inning)
- Pirates and Reds each turned a pair of double plays
- The Pirates selection after Konnor Griffin in the 1st round in 2024, 19-year-old right-handed starter Levi Sterling won his 2nd game at A Bradenton (6 IP, 2 hits, no runs, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts), his season ERA is 3.80
- 2025 competitive balance pick (72nd overall) 3B Murf Gray drove in his 26th run for Bradenton which leads the Florida State League
- 19-year-old outfielder Edward Florentino, the Pirates thirdranked prospect, hit his first High A home run, a three-run shot in a Greensborowin
Up Next
The first off day in awhile for the Pirates and then a series in Arizona starts Tuesday with Bubba Chandler (1-3, 4.97 ERA) against LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (2-0, 3.03 ERA) as Dan Zangrilli starts the North Shore Tavern Leadoff Show at 8:45p on 93.7 The Fan.
Pirates win pitchers duel to improve to 19-16
Pirates win pitchers duel to improve to 19-16
