Pirates rally with massive tenth inning to salvage collection in opposition to Diamondbacks

Ke’Bryan Hayes hit a two-run single to highlight a four-run 10th inning and the Pittsburgh Pirates held on to defeat the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-5 on Sunday afternoon in Phoenix.

Oneil Cruz homered for the second straight game and scored two runs and Andrew McCutchen singled and walked for Pittsburgh, which snapped a two-game losing streak. Aroldis Chapman (3-4) picked up the win with a hitless inning of relief.

Eugenio Suarez hit a home run and drove in three runs, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. homered and Jake McCarthy, coming off a 5-for-5 performance in Saturday night’s 9-5 victory, had an RBI triple and scored twice for Arizona, which had a four-game winning streak come to an end. Reliever Justin Martinez (4-2) suffered the loss, allowing four runs (three earned) on one hit and two walks in one-third of an inning.

Pittsburgh took a 6-2 lead in the 10th inning against Martinez and Bryce Jarvis. Ji Hwan Bae started the rally by beating out a bunt single that sent automatic runner Jared Triolo to third, and Yasmani Grandal followed with a walk to load the bases. After Triolo was thrown out at the plate when McCutchen grounded into a forceout, Bae scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch, putting the Pirates up 3-2.

Cruz was intentionally walked to load the bases again, and Martinez then hit Alika Williams with a pitch to bring in Grandal and make it 4-2.

One out later, Hayes lined a single to left to drive in Cruz and Williams for what would prove to be the winning runs.

Suarez led off the bottom half of the inning with a two-run homer to left-center against reliever Colin Holderman that barely cleared the fence and survived a crew chief review for fan interference. Two outs later, Gurriel smacked his 14th homer of the season, putting it just inside the left field foul pole to cut Pittsburgh’s lead to 6-5. Corbin Carroll followed with a triple into the right field corner, but Holderman got Geraldo Perdomo to ground out to first to end the game.

Arizona took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning. Joc Pederson led off with a line-drive double into the gap in right-center and scored one out later when McCarthy lined a triple into the right field corner. Suarez then drove in McCarthy with a sacrifice fly.

Pittsburgh cut the lead to 2-1 in the sixth when Cruz led off the inning with his 17th home run of the season, a towering 408-foot drive to right.

The Pirates rallied to tie it in the ninth against Diamondbacks closer Paul Sewald, as Rowdy Tellez doubled off the center field wall and fellow pinch hitter Joey Bart drove in pinch runner Williams with a two-out double.

Mitch Keller got the start for Pittsburgh and gave up two runs on two hits in seven innings.

Arizona starter Yilber Diaz went five scoreless innings, allowing one hit.

–Field Level Media