Pirates’ Nightmare Road Trip Continues; Crushed By Twins For Eighth-Straight Loss
Disinterested, uninspired, lifeless. The Pittsburgh Pirates had no chance in this one.
The losing streak has now reached a season-high eight games after getting blown out 12-4 by the Minnesota Twins on Saturday afternoon at Target Field.
How We Got There
The Twins (47-48) opened the game by scoring the game’s first nine runs, six of which came off Pirates starter Mike Burrows (1-3)
Kody Clemens delivered the first blow with a three-run home run in the bottom of the second. Willi Castro then brought home a run on an infield single and Ryan Jeffers plated another with a base hit to right. Brooks Lee capped off a six-run second inning with an RBI double to right.
Byron Buxton extended the lead to 7-0 with an RBI ground-rule double in the third. Buxton capped off a huge game with a solo home run in the seventh inning to complete the cycle.
Buxton’s home run was the front-end of back-to-back with Castro, who drove in three runs and scored twice.
The Pirates (38-58) had gone 10 up 10 down to start the game before Andrew McCutchen drew a walk and scored on Royce Lewis’ fielding error at third base in the fourth.
Jack Suwinski led off the following inning with a solo homer off Travis Adams (1-0), who worked four innings of relief and notched his first big-league win. Matt Wallner answered with one of his own before Joey Bart made it a 10-3 game with an RBI single. Nick Gonzales also drove in a run with a base hit in the ninth.
Key Moment
Kody Clemens’ three-run home run in the first opened the floodgates and quickly erased any chance the Pirates had of winning.
Star of the Game
On his bobblehead day, Byron Buxton hit for the cycle and went 5 for 5 with two RBI and three runs scored. It was the first cycle in the history of Target Field.
BYRON BUXTON HOMERS TO COMPLETE THE CYCLE
ON HIS BOBBLEHEAD DAY 🤯 pic.twitter.com/fCbjgzRUzd
— MLB (@MLB) July 12, 2025
Stat to Know
With the loss, the Pirates’ all-time record fell to 10,877-10,877. The last time their franchise record was below .500 was on Aug. 21, 1903.
Notable Performances
- Mike Burrows: 1.1 innings, five hits, six runs, three walks, one strikeout, 56 pitches/31 strikes
- Jack Suwinski: 1 for 4, one home run, one RBI, one run
- Joey Bart: 2 for 4, one double, one RBI
Noteworthy
- Jack Suwinski’s home run was his first since last season on July 9 against the Milwaukee Brewers.
- Andrew Heaney allowed three home runs in his first relief appearance of the season.
Up Next
The Pirates will look to salvage a brutal road trip with one more game before the much-needed All-Star Break. RHP Mitch Keller (3-10, 3.58 ERA) will start for the Pirates opposite RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (5-4, 4.08 ERA) on Sunday afternoon. First pitch: 2:10 p.m. ET.
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