Pirates Mowed Down by Michael King as Losing Streak Hits Nine

The Pittsburgh Pirates were shut down by Michael King and the San Diego Padres in a 3-0 loss at PETCO Park on Tuesday night, giving them their ninth-straight loss.

Recap

A walk, hit by pitch and fielding error from shortstop Oneil Cruz loaded the bases with nobody out in the top of the first inning against Luis Ortiz. Center fielder Ji Hwan Bae made a fantastic diving grab to rob Manny Machado of at least a base hit. Instead, the sacrifice fly put the Padres (68-53) ahead by a score of 1-0.

Ortiz avoided disaster by getting Xander Bogaerts to bounce into an inning-ending double play. 

It was until the bottom of the fifth until the Padres scored again on a David Peralta solo home run to right-center field.

Ortiz (5-3) had to labor a bit on the mound for the Pirates (56-63) but worked five innings and allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits, a pair of walks and three strikeouts. 

Machado extended San Diego’s lead by driving in a run in the eighth inning against Kyle Nicolas.

Michael King (10-6) threw six-scoreless innings and got the win for the Padres. Robert Suarez got the save, his 27th of the season. 

The Pirates went 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position and struck out 15 times in the loss.

Key Moment

Cruz’s error erased a potential double play opportunity and opened the door to the Padres jumping out to an early lead, a lead they would hold from start to finish. Cruz’s 23 errors this season are the second-most in baseball behind the Reds’ Elly De La Cruz. 

Star of the Game

King didn’t issue a walk or allow an extra-base hit and struck out 10 batters during his sharp outing in the Padres’ win. 

Stat to Know

King’s 10 strikeouts are tied for the third-most he’s had in a game this season. At the conclusion of his outing, he ranks ninth in baseball with 161 strikeouts on the season.

Noteworthy

• Andrew McCutchen extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a 1 for 4 performance. He’s batting .325 over that span.
• Bryan Reynolds had three hits including a double. It marked the sixth time this season in which Reynolds had at least three hits in a game.
• Bae made a couple of excellent plays in center. His diving catch will be on SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays in the morning. 

Ji-Hwan Bae WHAT A PLAY pic.twitter.com/3bQKr6cihw

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) August 14, 2024

• Outfielder Edward Olivares, who was recently designated for assignment, was outrighted to Triple-A Indianapolis.

Up Next

Mitch Keller (10-6, 3.56 ERA) and the Pirates will conclude their series against former teammate Martín Pérez (2-5, 4.78 ERA) and the Padres on Wednesday. First pitch: 4:10 ET.