Pirates Score Six Straight to Beat Phillies, Bullpen Steady in Series Finale
PHILADELPHIA — The Pittsburgh Pirates split their series with the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday, scoring six unanswered runs and getting five scoreless innings from their beleaguered bullpen on the way to a 6-1 win in the scorching series finale. Carmen Mlodzinski piggybacked off starter Jared Jones, allowing two hits over three innings to start off the Pirates’ bullpen heroics.
Scoring Plays
Bottom 3rd, 1-0 PHI: Jared Jones walked Phillies’ nine-hole hitter Rafael Marchán. After striking out Trea Turner on a low changeup, Jones walked Kyle Schwarber, and Bryce Harper mashed a double the opposite way to plate a run.
Top 5th, 1-1: Jake Mangum doubled to lead off the fifth, then took third on a Brandon Lowe single. Esmerlyn Valdez singled Mangum home, but Ryan O’Hearn grounded into a double play that ended the rally.
Top 7th, 3-1 PIT: Valdez hit his first career triple in the seventh inning, plating Brandon Lowe. A Nick Gonzales single with two outs brought Valdez home.
Top 8th, 5-1 PIT: Endy Rodríguez led off the eighth with a home run to left-center, giving the Pirates (44-44) another layer of insurance. They went on to load the bases, and Valdez added an RBI sacrifice fly.
Top 9th, 6-1 PIT: Nick Gonzales got in on the party with a solo home run, his third hit of the game.
Key Moment
After Valdez’s one-out triple in the seventh, O’Hearn struck out and Gonzales fell behind 1-2. Gonzales kept the inning alive, fouling off a cutter over the plate, then battled off an inside sinker for an RBI single. Making the most of their opportunities with runners in scoring position late helped the Pirates take the pressure off their bullpen.
Player of the Game
Esmerlyn Valdez, who plated three runs and scored another. He recorded the game-tying and then the go-ahead RBI and continued to add insurance through the late innings.
Stat to Know
Jared Jones hasn’t recorded an out past the fifth inning in seven starts since returning from elbow surgery.
Notable Performances
- Jared Jones: 4 IP, 1 ER, 6 K’s
- Esmerlyn Valdez: 2-for-4 with a triple and a sacrifice fly
- Marcell Ozuna: 1-for-3 with two walks
- Jake Mangum: 3-for-5 with a double
- Nick Gonzales: 3-for-5 with a homer
Noteworthy
- Carmen Mlodzinski (5-3) got the win for Pittsburgh. He, Gregory Soto and Mason Montgomery combined for five-shutout innings in relief of Jared Jones.
- Brandon Lowe’s seventh-inning steal marked his first since July 5, 2025; he last attempted a steal on Aug. 11, 2025.
- Nick Gonzales logged his 31st multi-hit game of the season, the third-most in MLB.
- Esmerlyn Valdez extended his hitting streak to seven games. Ryan O’Hearn extended his to five.
- The Pirates out-hit the Phillies (49-39) 14-4.
Up Next
Pittsburgh will head to Washington for a three-game set beginning at 6:45 p.m. on Friday, July 3. Right-hander Mitch Keller (6-5, 4.87 ERA, 73 SO) will face Nationals’ lefty Foster Griffin (8-2, 2.93 ERA, 98 SO).
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