Pirates
Pirates Snap Skid: Bullpen Holds on for Paul Skenes, Oneil Cruz Has Big Game
Paul Skenes didn’t rely on strikeouts as much as he has for much of his young career, but the big right-hander still turned 7.0 strong innings for the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday afternoon.
Skenes’ dominance and a big game from Oneil Cruz helped the Pirates snap their four-game losing streak with a 4-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
How We Got There
The Pirates (2-5) jumped out to a rare lead when Adam Frazier came through with a clutch two-out RBI single to center field to plate Isiah Kiner Falefa in the second against Ryan Pepiot (0-1).
Oneil Cruz tacked on another run for the Pirates in the top of the fifth inning with a towering blast the other way, his second homer of the season.
ONEIL CRUZ 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/3IN86jJsaJ
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) April 2, 2025
Brandon Lowe cut the Pirates’ lead in half and got the Rays (4-2) on the board with an RBI groundout. The run was unearned for Skenes, however, as Jonny DeLucca, who scored on the play, reached on an infield single and advanced to second on a throwing error by Kiner-Falefa at short.
After Skenes (1-0) struck out the final two batters he faced in the bottom of the seventh, the Pirates tacked on an insurance run in the top of the eighth. Endy Rodríguez drove in his first run of the season with a run-scoring single that came with two outs.
The Rays answered in the bottom of the inning when a leadoff walk of Taylor Walls came back to bite Colin Holderman. With one out, Jonny DeLuca ripped a single to left to make it a one-run game.
Cruz came through again for the Pirates in the top of the ninth by plating a run with a sacrifice fly with runners on the corners and one out.
In David Bednar’s absence, Dennis Santana was given the ball in the ninth and converted his fifth-career save.
Key Moment
Ryan Borucki was brought into the game in relief of Holderman with a runner on second and two away. The left-hander did his job by striking out pinch-hitter Curtis Mead on a called-third strike right at the bottom of the zone.
Star of the Game
Paul Skenes earned his first victory of the season with a brilliant outing in Tampa. The Rays had only one runner reach scoring position against him.
Paul Skenes, 98mph on his 102nd pitch.
6th K. pic.twitter.com/acRlKe35Ru
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 2, 2025
Notable Pirates’ Performances
- Paul Skenes: 7.0 innings, three runs, one run (unearned), no walks, six strikeouts, 102 pitches/72 strikes
- Oneil Cruz: 2 for 4, one home run, two RBIs, one run, one sac fly, one steal
- Adam Frazier: 2 for 4, one RBI
- Ke’Bryan Hayes: 1 for 4, one triple
- Endy Rodríguez: 1 for 4, one RBI
- Isiah Kiner-Falefa: 1 for 3, one run, one HBP
- Tommy Pham: 0f or 2, two walks, one steal
Stat to Know
With another steal in the first inning, Oneil Cruz has successfully stolen 26 consecutive bases dating back to last season. That’s the fourth-longest streak by a Pirate in the last 50 years. Tony Womack, who had 32-straight steals in 1997, leads the way.
Noteworthy
- Isiah Kiner-Falefa extended his hitting streak to six games with a single in the fourth inning. He’s hitting .333 so far on the season.
- Colin Holderman has been scored upon in three of his four appearances this season —
Up Next
The rough first road trip has come to an end. After a day off on Thursday, the Pirates will return to Pittsburgh for their home opener against the New York Yankees on Friday at 4:12 p.m. ET. RHP Mitch Keller (1-0, 1.50 ERA) will start for the Pirates. The Yankees haven’t officially announced a starter.
