Oneil Cruz's RBI single in 11th inning lifts Pirates to 5-4 win over Orioles
Pittsburgh Pirates' Oneil Cruz watches his walkoff single during the 11th inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Saturday, April 6, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
By JOHN PERROTTO Associated Press
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Oneil Cruz singled home the winning run in the 11th inning to give the Pittsburgh Pirates a 5-4 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday.
Cruz drove in automatic runner Henry Davis from second base. Orioles center fielder Cedric Mullins temporarily kept the game tied when he made a diving catch of Ke’Bryan Hayes’ line drive, but Cruz followed with a single to right off Jonathan Heasley (0-1).
“My main goal in those situations like that, I don’t think about being afraid or what’s the situation,” Cruz said. “I just go out there and focus on what I need to be doing at the moment and let the results speak for themselves.”
Josh Fleming (1-0) retired the side in order in the top of the 11th. Joey Bart homered in his first at-bat with the Pirates, and starter Bailey Falter pitched six shutout innings.
“It’s always tough on the road in extra innings,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “Especially when we don’t score there (in the 11th), that’s a tough situation to get more than one. If you don’t score any, you’re putting yourself into a really tough spot.”
Both teams scored once in the 10th inning. Adley Rutschman hit a sacrifice fly for Baltimore, and Edward Olivares drew a bases-loaded walk with none out for Pittsburgh. But the Pirates failed to push across another run in the 10th.
The Pirates (7-2) are 3-0 in extra innings this season after going 3-9 last year.
“I think we’ve seen with this group through nine games that they play 27 outs, 30 outs, 33 outs, whatever it takes,” manager Derek Shelton said. “I give them a lot of credit because they don’t give up.”
The Orioles trailed 3-0 after six innings but tied it 3-all in the ninth when Jordan Westburg scored on Mullins’ one-out grounder, beating first baseman Rowdy Tellez’s throw to the plate. That pinned closer David Bednar with his second blown save in three opportunities this season.
Baltimore closed to 3-2 in the seventh when Austin Hays and Mullins drove in runs. Westburg finished with two hits and Mullins had two RBIs.
Bart’s two-run homer capped a three-run second inning that put the Pirates in front 3-0. Pittsburgh acquired the 27-year-old catcher, the second overall pick in the 2018 amateur draft, on Wednesday from the San Francisco Giants.
“It was fun and I just kind of blacked out for a moment,” Bart said with a smile.
Bart also doubled and finished with two hits. Tellez had three hits and Cruz added two.
Falter allowed only one hit, a bloop double by Jorge Mateo leading off the sixth inning. Center fielder Jack Suwinski, second baseman Alika Williams and right fielder Connor Joe converged on the ball, but it fell between them.
Falter struck out one and walked one before being lifted after 78 pitches in his second start of the season. He was tagged for six runs in four innings last Sunday at Miami in a no-decision.
Orioles starter Tyler Wells lasted 5 2/3 innings and gave up three runs on seven hits. He had three strikeouts and two walks.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Pirates: RHP Carmen Mlodzinski (right elbow inflammation) began a rehab assignment with Class A Bradenton.
UP NEXT
Orioles RHP Dean Kremer (0-0, 5.06 ERA) is scheduled to start Sunday against Pittsburgh LHP Marco Gonzales (0-0, 1.80). Kremer pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings in his lone career start against the Pirates in 2022.
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