McCutchen’s Sac Fly Lifts Pirates To 5-4 Win Over A’s For Sixth-Straight Victory

PITTSBURGH — Andrew McCutchen’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth inning lifted the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 5-4 win over the Oakland A’s on Monday night at PNC Park.

With the win, the Pirates (32-27) extended their winning streak to six games while the A’s (12-50) dropped their 15th-straight road game.

After Ji Hwan Bae led off the eighth with an infield single, he advanced to third on an Austin Hedges single to right field, putting runners on the corners with one away for McCutchen.

McCutchen, who drew three walks in the contests, skied a ball to the warning track just shy of the Clemente Wall, allowing the speedy Bae to score easily.

The Pirates overcame a three-run deficit in the game to push their winning streak to six.

A’s leadoff hitter Esteury Ruiz reached on a catcher’s interference to open the game. He came around to score on a Ryan Noda single into center field. 

Oakland tacked on two more in the third inning. Seth Brown doubled home a run before Carlos Pérez added one with a sacrifice fly to right field to put the A’s up 3-0. 

After that, Oviedo kept the Pirates in the game and retired 13 of the final 15 batters he faced. The Pirates’ right-hander matched a career-high with seven innings, allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits, two walks and five strikeouts.

Oviedo ended his outing by striking out Noda looking. A’s manager Mark Kotsay was ejected by home plate umpire Jansen Visconti for arguing the call. 

The Pirates’ first hit of the game didn’t come until Mark Mathias led off the fifth inning with a single to left. He scored on a Connor Joe bloop double to cut the A’s lead to 3-1.

Joe popped one up into shallow right field and the ball ticked off of A’s second baseman Jace Peterson’s glove, allowing Mathias to score. 

With a single up the middle to lead off the home half of the sixth, Ke’Bryan Hayes extended his hitting streak to five games.

Thanks to four straight walks after Hayes’ single, the Pirates were able to tie the game 3-3 after McCutchen and Bryan Reynolds drew free passes with the bases full.

In total, the Pirates drew 10 walks in the game as seven different players drew at least one free pass.

Jack Suwisnki, who pinch hit for Joe, put the Pirates ahead 4-3 with a sacrifice fly to right field. Hedges scored before McCutchen was tagged up attempting to advance to third base. 

The A’s came back to tie the game in the eighth inning off of Rob Zastryzny on an Aledmys Diaz pinch-hit double to left field.

Angel Perdomo (1-0) wiggled out of a bases loaded jam to prevent the go-ahead run from scoring. It was Perdomo’s second win of his career and first since 2021. Colin Holderman closed it out in the ninth, earning his first-career save.

The Pirates and A’s will continue their three-game series on Tuesday night. Mitch Keller (7-1, 3.25 ERA) will be on the mound for the Pirates. Right-hander James Kaprielian (0-6, 8.12 ERA) will get the ball for Oakland. First pitch: 7:05.