Pirates Drop Fifth Straight, Lose to Guardians 10-1

Recap:

The Pittsburgh Pirates saw their losing streak hit five games on Tuesday, as they fell to the Cleveland Guardians 10-1.

Seven pitches into the game, the Cleveland Guardians held a 4-0 lead. Double, single, single, home run. Another run scored before Mitch Keller could escape the first and, while he steadied down the stretch, he still allowed a two-run bomb to old friend Josh Bell in the third inning, then a bases-loaded groundout to push the margin to 8-0 in the fourth.

Left fielder Connor Joe broke up the shutout in the sixth inning with a solo shot to the bullpen, his seventh of the year. 

Cleveland continued to pile on with unnecessary insurance in the ninth, as first baseman Josh Naylor roped a two-run homer to right to make it 10-1.

Andrew McCutchen singled to begin the ninth, but a fielder’s choice and a double play ended the game.

Key Moment:

The game was already out of hand, but the Pirates’ rookies had an excellent opportunity to cash in some runs (and some milestones) with two on and no outs in the seventh. Jared Triolo flew out, Endy Rodríguez punched out and Nick Gonzales grounded out to end the threat.

Star of the Game:

Guardians’ rookie southpaw Logan Allen pitched lights out with one hit, one walk and eight strikeouts in five innings.

Stat of Interest:

Keller tied an ignominious career high with eight earned runs in one game (August 28, 2019 at Philadelphia).

Noteworthy:

Jared Triolo’s fifth-inning single extended his hitting streak to 11 games.

Pittsburgh sits with an 0-5 record since the All-Star Break and a 2-12 record in July. 

Up Next: 

Pittsburgh (41-54) looks to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Guardians at 12:35pm on July 19. Pirates’ left-hander Rich Hill (7-9, 4.76 ERA) looks to face Guardians’ right-hander Aaron Civale (3-2, 2.65 ERA).