Pirates Tormented By Elly De La Cruz In 7-1 Loss

The Pittsburgh Pirates fell 7-1 on Saturday, dropping the game and their series against the Cincinnati Reds after starter Jared Jones got roughed up for six runs in five innings.

Billy Cook hit the second home run of his brief big league career, a 424-foot bomb with the game well out of hand.

Recap:

While Jones started strong with two first inning strikeouts, the Reds tormented him during his second turn through the lineup.

After two quick outs in the third inning, an Elly De La Cruz double kicked off a three run rally. De La Cruz then closed the book on a fourth inning rally, putting Cincinnati ahead 6-0 with a three run homer to right.

Jones’ fastball velocity dipped into the low 90s towards the end of his start, a situation to monitor for the young flamethrower who regularly hits triple digits.

Key Moment:

Five of the runs Jones allowed came via homer, and all of them came with two outs. Had he been able to wriggle out of the jams he faced in the third and fourth innings, it would’ve been a much different ball game.

Star of the Game:

Pirates fans, cover your eyes. Reds’ phenom and Oneil Cruz doppelgänger Elly De La Cruz came a triple shy of the cycle, going 3-for-5 with a three-run homer.

Stat of Interest:

Jones’ ERA sits at 6.15 in five starts since returning from the injured list with a Grade 2 lat strain.

Noteworthy:

• Billy Cook recorded the second two hit game of his young career.
• Oneil Cruz reached base three times, drawing a pair of walks.

Up Next:

The Pirates look to avoid the sweep at 1:10pm Sunday, with rookie phenom Paul Skenes (10-3, 2.07 ERA, 158 K’s) taking on Hunter Greene (9-4, 2.83 ERA, 162 K’s).