Pirates Down Cardinals on Late Clutch Hit; Oneil Cruz Makes Web Gem

The Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2 on a late clutch hit by Nick Gonzales. The Pirates broke a scoreless tie in the 4th inning when Bryan De La Cruz followed Nick Gonzales' triple with a sacrifice fly. The Cardinals quickly answered in the bottom of the 4th with an RBI single by Brendan Donovan, and then took the lead 2-1 with Donovan's run-scoring double in the 6th. Yasmani Grandal hit a solo home run in the 7th inning to tie the game at 2-2. In the 8th inning, with runners on the corners, Nick Gonzales delivered the game-winning single to put the Pirates up 3-2. Pirates starter Luis Ortiz pitched 6 innings, allowing 2 runs and striking out 7. Carmen Mlodzinski got the win and Aroldis Chapman recorded the save. Oneil Cruz made a highlight-reel defensive play in center field, robbing Masyn Winn of a hit with a 20% catch probability. The Pirates selected the contract of RHP Isaac Mattson and designated RHP Jake Woodford for assignment. The Pirates will travel to Cincinnati to face the Reds in a 3-game series, with Mitch Keller starting for Pittsburgh. This was an important win for the Pirates to salvage the series against the Cardinals.

Original Article: https://pittsburghbaseballnow.com/pittsburgh-pirates-st-louis-cardinals-oneil-cruz-nick-gonzales/

Original Article Author: Danny Demilio