Sloppy Pirates Fall to Royals 5-1

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates made two errors and could have been charged with a third on Saturday when they lost to the Kansas City Royals 5-1 at PNC Park

Recap

Second baseman Nick Gonzales and third baseman Jared Triolo misplayed balls for errors. Center fielder Oneil Cruz was originally charged with an error when he misplayed Bobby Witt Jr.’s drive but the official scorer changed his ruling to a double.

Triolo and Bryan Reynolds had two hits each, but they couldn’t stop the Pirates (70-78) from losing to the Royals (82-67) for a second straight day. Cruz drove in the Pirates’ lone run with a fifth-inning single after the Royals had taken a 3-0 lead.

Witt had two hits and three RBIs, including a solo home run in the first inning off Mitch Keller (11-10) that opened the scoring.

Keller lost for the fifth time in his last six decisions. He allowed four runs (three earned) and four hits while striking out six and walking one.

Michael Wacha (13-7) yielded one run in five innings for the win.

The Pirates are 14-24 since Aug. 4. The Royals have won seven of nine since a seven-game losing streak and hold the second American League wild card.

Key Moment

Down 5-1, the Pirates loaded the bases with one out in the eighth inning. However, pinch-hitter Joey Bart and Isiah Kiner-Falefa struck out against left-hander Kris Bubic to end the threat.

Star of the Game

Wacha struck out eight and allowed four hits in five innings while improving to 8-3 against the Pirates.

Stat to Know

Reynolds had his fourth straight multiple-hit game and 47^th of the season, which ranks fourth in the National League.

Up Next

The Pirates will try to avoid being swept in the three-game series when the teams meet at 1:35 p.m. on Sunday. Rookie Jared Jones (6-7, 3.82) will start for the Pirates against Brady Singer (9-10, 3.42 ERA).