logo
Pirates slip past Twins for 2-1 victory to end 8-game skid

Pirates slip past Twins for 2-1 victory to end 8-game skid

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Spencer Horwitz had a bases-loaded RBI ground out in the ninth inning and the Pittsburgh Pirates ended an eight-game slide by beating the Minnesota Twins 2-1 Sunday.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa tied a career high with four hits for Pittsburgh.
Ke'Bryan Hayes singled with one out in the ninth off Twins closer Jhoan Duran (5-4). Pinch-hitter Oneil Cruz had an infield single and Kiner-Falefa singled to load the bases.
Horwitz hit a sharp grounder that second baseman Brooks Lee dove to his right to stop. Looking to start a double play, Lee couldn't cleanly get the ball out of his glove and had to settle for a force out at first allowing Hayes to score.
Dennis Santana pitched a scoreless eighth (3-2) for the Pirates and David Bednar earned his 13th save.
Byron Buxton, Carlos Correa and Harrison Bader each had two hits for Minnesota, which finished 6-3 on a nine-game homestand but failed to get back to .500 for the first time since June 17.
Mitch Keller allowed one run in six innings for Pittsburgh but again got little support. The Pirates have scored one or zero runs while Keller is in the game in 11 of his 20 starts.
Yet, his 14 quality starts are tied for second in the majors with Philadelphia's Zack Wheeler. San Francisco's Logan Webb has 15.
Tommy Pham homered in the second for Pittsburgh. Buxton, who hit for the cycle Saturday, had an RBI double in the third.
Key moment
Tied 1-1, Minnesota had runners on first and second with one out in the eighth, but Willi Castro hit a dribbler in front of the plate and DaShawn Keirsey Jr. was thrown out at third. Trevor Larnach then flew out.
Key stat
Minnesota's Simeon Woods Richardson allowed six hits and one earned run in 4 2-3 innings. He's allowed five earned runs in 30 2-3 innings in his past six starts.
Up next
Both teams return to action Friday after the All-Star break: Pittsburgh is home to the Chicago White Sox; Minnesota is at Colorado.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Pacers' Johnny Furphy throws down dunk of the Summer League in wild poster over Noa Essengue
Pacers' Johnny Furphy throws down dunk of the Summer League in wild poster over Noa Essengue

Yahoo

time23 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Pacers' Johnny Furphy throws down dunk of the Summer League in wild poster over Noa Essengue

The NBA's Summer League in Las Vegas is just getting started, but Johnny Furphy has already laid claim to what should easily go down as the dunk of the event. Furphy, after weaving his way up the court in the second quarter of the Indiana Pacers' matchup with the Bulls, cocked back and threw down a wild one-handed slam over Chicago rookie Noa Essengue on Monday afternoon at Cox Pavillion in Las Vegas. The replay and photos that came out of it were somehow even better. Essengue was taken by the Bulls took out of France with the No. 12 overall pick in the draft earlier this summer. He didn't stand a chance on the play. Advertisement Furphy is fresh off his rookie season in the league last season with the Pacers, who he helped reach the NBA Finals. After being selected with the No. 35 overall pick out of Kansas in the 2024 NBA Draft, Furphy averaged just shy of eight minutes per game last season for the Pacers. He averaged 14.3 points in the 10 games he played with their G League affiliate, too. Furphy had 11 points at halftime on Monday night. He finished with 15 points and shot 5-of-9 from the field in the Pacers' 114-105 loss to the Bulls. Essengue finished with 21 points for Chicago. While there is plenty of time left for someone to go after the 'Dunk of the Summer League' title, Furphy has set the bar incredibly high. That poster, which Essengue somehow already found himself on the wrong side of, is going to be very hard to beat.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store