Pirates Come Through Late, Snap Skid With Close Win Over Twins

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Jul 13, 2025
Mitch Keller, Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Mitch Keller throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park, Wednesday, April 3, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

The Pittsburgh Pirates salvaged a brutal road trip and snapped an eight-game losing streak by edging the Minnesota Twins 2-1 on Sunday afternoon at Target Field.

How We Got There

Tommy Pham whacked his fourth home run of the season to put the Pirates (39-58) up 1-0 in the second.

Byron Buxton evened the score the following inning with an RBI double off Pirates starter Mitch Keller.

The score remained tied until the top of the ninth inning, when Spencer Horwitz brought home a run with a sharp groundout to second while the bases were loaded with one. The Pirates loaded the bases on three-straight hits off Jhoan Durán (5-4).

David Bednar converted his 13th save in as many tries in a scoreless ninth. Dennis Santana (3-2) was the winning pitcher after handling the eighth.

Key Moment

Spencer Horwitz’s grounder to second base was fielded on a dive by Brooks Lee, who had trouble getting the ball out of his glove, erasing any chance of a potential inning-ending double play.

Star of the Game

Though he didn’t get credited with his fourth win of the season, Mitch Keller delivered another quality start for the Pirates by holding the Twins (47-49) to one run in six innings. Keller has 14 quality starts this season.

Stat to Know

The Pirates’ eight-game losing streak was their longest of the season and longest since losing 10 in a row from Aug. 4-14 last season.

Notable Performances

  • Mitch Keller: 6.0 innings, four hits, one run, no walks, three strikeouts, 83 pitches/56 strikes
  • Isiah Kiner-Falefa: 4 for 4
  • Tommy Pham: 1 for 4, one home run, one RBI, one run

Noteworthy

  • Oneil Cruz (hip flexor) was not in the starting lineup after leaving Saturday’s game early but reached on an infield single as a pinch-hitter in the ninth.

Up Next

The All-Star break. Paul Skenes will start for the National League in the Midsummer Classic on Tuesday.

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