7/14/24 By Drew Cagle – @cagles_bagels on X
The Pirates entered their final series before the All-Star break looking to continue positive momentum from a series win in Milwaukee. Facing the Chicago White Sox, who entered play with baseball’s lowest winning percentage, it was a series that the Bucs needed to take care of.
Friday (W 4-1)
The Pirates got off to a slow start offensively, being stymied by starter Garrett Crochet and reliever Jonathan Cannon over the first four innings. Down one-nothing in the fifth, the bats began to heat up. Ke’Bryan Hayes and Joey Bart reached base to begin the inning, and were driven home by Jared Triolo (RBI single) and Michael A. Taylor (sacrifice fly).
Still facing Cannon, the Pirates added on a pair of runs the following inning on a Nick Gonzales RBI double and a Ke’Bryan Hayes RBI single.
Pirates starter Marco Gonzales made his return from a forearm strain that had sidelined him since April. The southpaw was hit hard and allowed several baserunners, but held the White Sox to just a single run on seven hits.
In the bullpen, Carmen Mlodzinski, Colin Holderman, and David Bednar maintained the lead over the final four frames, allowing only a single hit. Bednar returned from the injured list to record his 17th save of the season.
Pirates Player of the Game: Ke’Bryan Hayes (2-4, 2 singles, RBI, stolen base)
Saturday (W 6-2)
Looking to secure the series win, the Pirates sent 25-year old Luis Ortiz to the hill. Ortiz received run support right away, as Andrew McCutchen doubled and Bryan Reynolds singled in the top of the first inning. Oneil Cruz grounded into a force out, bringing home McCutchen. Over the 5 ⅔ innings that Ortiz worked, he pounded the strike zone, punching out five, while allowing four hits and one run.
Needing a run to take back the lead, the Bucs quickly had baserunners. A single by Hayes and a hit by pitch on Jack Suwinski set the table for Yasmani Grandal. The Pirates’ catcher bunted foul with 2 strikes for the first out, but singles by McCutchen and Reynolds (the latter scoring a pair) gave the Black and Gold a 3-1 advantage. A White Sox run in the 8th cut into that lead, but another Reynolds 2-run single, paired with a sacrifice fly by Oneil Cruz, put the game out of reach.
In extending the lead, the Pirates allowed Bednar to rest for another day, a small victory on a day that the team won by a 6-2 final score. Young right-hander Kyle Nicolas recorded his first major league win, tossing 1 ⅓ scoreless innings.
Pirates Player of the Game: Bryan Reynolds (4-5, 4 singles, 4 RBIs)
Sunday (W 9-4)
One win away from reaching the .500 mark, the Pirates turned to Mitch Keller. However, the White Sox had other ideas early on. The first three batters reached base in the first inning, leading to a run scoring on an Eloy Jiminez double play.
The Black and Gold answered back in the third inning. A Chad Kuhl cutter clipped Bryan Reynolds in the leg with two outs. Oneil Cruz sent a towering double to right-center field, scoring the Pittsburgh left fielder.
The back-and-forth nature of play continued. Andrew Benintendi socked a solo home run to give Chicago the lead back in the third. Joey Bart deposited another cutter into the left-center field bleachers, plating three, and taking the lead back for the Pirates, 4-2.
Quinn Priester came on in relief of Keller after only three frames, snapping a 49-start streak of Mitch completing five innings. The Illinois native allowed one run over two innings of work.
In the eighth inning, the Pirates offense flexed its muscle on Chicago reliever Jordan Leasure, plating four runs. Nick Gonzales scored two with a triple to left that Benintendi dove after, allowing for the runners to advance. A sacrifice fly by Rowdy Tellez and an RBI double by Joshua Palacios ended the scoring.
Chicago answered with a run in the seventh, but Bryan Reynolds continued his hot series in the following half-inning. The All-Star swatted his 18th round-tripper of the season, extending the lead to 9-4. Nicolas, Mlodzinski, Holderman and Dennis Santana closed things out, and helped the Pirates even up their record at 48-48.
Pirates Player of the Game: Joey Bart (1-4, 3-run home run)
Steel City Pirates 