Pirates Mowed Down by Dallas Keuchel; Lose 2-0 to Twins

Recap

The Pittsburgh Pirates did not manage a baserunner until the seventh inning against Dallas Keuchel and fell to the Minnesota Twins 2-0 at Target Field on Sunday afternoon.

Keuchel retired the first 19 batters he faced before getting taken out after allowing a double with one out in the seventh. The left-hander finished the game with 6.1 innings pitched, the one hit and he struck out three batters.

Edouard Julien was responsible for both Twins’ runs, with a sacrifice fly in the fourth and a run-scoring double in the sixth inning.

Flame-throwing right hander Johan Duran earned his 23rd save of the season to seal the win for the Twins.

Key Moment 

Bryan Reynolds’ double off the right-center wall with one out in the seventh inning broke up Keuchel’s perfect game and no-hit bids. Reynolds had the only two hits of the game for the Pirates.

Star of the Game

In a shocker, the star of the game goes to Keuchel.

Stat to Know

Entering play, Keuchel had allowed seven runs on 14 in 6.2 innings across two starts while walking four and not striking out a single batter. Dating back to the start of last season, the left-hander had a 9.22 ERA over his last 16 starts.

Noteworthy

• Pirates’ pitchers combined to strikeout 15 batters. Osvaldo Bido (2-4) led the way with six punchouts in 3.1 innings.
• The Pirates activated Dauri Moreta off the injured list and placed Angel Perdomo on the 15-day IL with left elbow discomfort.
• Moreta pitched a scoreless seventh inning. He struck out three wand walked one.
• The Pirates have dropped three-straight series after winning or splitting five series in a row.

Up Next

The Pirates will return home for a seven-game homestand starting Monday night against the St. Louis Cardinals. While the Pirates have yet to announce a starter, it’ll be Matthew Liberatore (2-5, 6.12 ERA) on the mound for St. Louis. First pitch: 6:35 ET.