Ortiz cruises through 7 innings, Cruz has 3 RBIs as Pirates win 6th straight, 4-1 over Phillies
PITTSBURGH, PA - JULY 20: Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sánchez (61) delivers a pitch during an MLB game against the against the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 20, 2024 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sports
PITTSBURGH - Luis Ortiz pitched seven shutout innings, Oneil Cruz had a home run and three RBIs, and the Pittsburgh Pirates stretched their winning streak to six games with a 4-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday night.
Ortiz (5-2), who had not gone more than six innings this season, gave up three hits and two walks with two strikeouts to lower his ERA to 2.57.
Andrew McCutchen led off the sixth inning by hitting a 3-1 sinker from Cristopher Sánchez (7-5) 431 feet into the bullpen in left-center field. Nick Gonzales, who hit the winning RBI single in the ninth inning of an 8-7 win Friday night, got on with a two-out single and scored on Cruz's double off the wall in right.
Cruz hit a two-out, two-run home run 422 feet off a fastball from Matt Strahm to make it 4-0 in the eighth. He also had three RBIs on Friday.
Bryce Harper hit his 22nd homer off Pirates closer David Bednar with one out in the ninth.
Sánchez was pulled after allowing two runs on eight hits in 5 2/3 innings for the Phillies, who have lost three games in a row and four of their last five.
Gonzales came close to putting Pittsburgh ahead in the first inning, driving a liner to center that would have scored Reynolds from second. Johan Rojas made a diving catch, going forward and stretching to his left to keep it from slipping into the gap.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Phillies: C J.T. Realmuto, who had right knee meniscectomy surgery on June 12, was reinstated from the 10-day injured list. ... LHP Ranger Suárez (low back spasms) and RHP Zack Wheeler (back tightness) will return for Philadelphia’s next series at the Minnesota Twins. Suárez will start Monday and Wheeler will take the mound Tuesday.
UP NEXT
LHP Marco Gonzales (1-0, 2.45 ERA) will take the mound as the Pirates go for the three-game sweep Sunday, opposite Phillies RHP Tyler Phillips (1-0, 4.50).