Pirates Blow Save, Get Walked-Off by Guardians in 2nd Game of Doubleheader

The Pirates were in the driver’s seat to sweep a doubleheader in Cleveland, but another blown save resulted in a 5-3 loss on Saturday night.

Scoring Plays

Top 2nd, 1-0 PIT: Brandon Lowe hit a sacrifice fly to deep right field off Logan Allen to give the Pirates (51-48) the early lead.

Top 3rd, 2-0 PIT: Esmerlyn Valdez hit a high popup into shallow right-center, and Petey Halpin lost the ball in the sun, allowing Nick Gonzales to score from second base.

Top 4th, 3-0 PIT: With two on and one out, Jake Mangum hit a dribbler in front of the plate and reached on an infield single. Catcher Austin Hedges’ throw skipped off the glove of first baseman Rhys Hoskins, allowing Lowe to score from second.

Bottom 8th, 3-3: Chase DeLauter got the Guardians (52-47) on the board with an RBI single to right off Brandon Eisert. After the Pirates turned to Gregory Soto, Brayan Rocchio scored on a wild pitch and Khalil Watson evened the score with an RBI single.

Bottom 9th, 5-3 CLE: Travis Bazzana hit a walk-off two-run home run off Dennis Santana (2-5).

Key Moments

The Pirates put together a strong relay to prevent the winning run from scoring in the ninth, but Dennis Santana allowed a walk-off homer two pitches later.

Player of the Game

Travis Bazzana finished 2 for 3 with a home run, two RBIs and two walks.

Stat to Know

Khristian Curtis delivered the longest scoreless relief outing by a Pirate in his MLB debut since Steve Blass threw five-scoreless innings against the Milwaukee Braves on May 10, 1964.

Notable Performances

• Khristian Curtis: 5.0 innings, two hits, no runs, four strikeouts, 68 pitches/42 strikes
• Brandon Eisert: 0.2 inning, three hits, three runs, no walks, two strikeouts, 22 pitches/15 strikes
• Dennis Santana: 0.1 inning, three hits, two runs, no walks, one strikeout, 9 pitches/7 strikes

Noteworthy

• The Pirates have blown 18 if their 39 save opportunities this season.
• The start of the game was delayed for over an hour due to rain.
• The Pirates beat the Guardians 7-1 in the first game of the doubleheader earlier in the day.

Up Next

The Pirates and Guardians will wrap up their weekend series on Sunday afternoon. RHP Paul Skenes (8-8, 3.57 ERA) will be on the mound for Pittsburgh. LHP Joey Cantillo (8-4, 3.56 ERA) starts for Cleveland. First pitch: 1:40 p.m. ET on SportsNet Pittsburgh/93.7 The Fan.

Around the Network

Pittsburgh Baseball Now: Pirates Draft Signings: 6 Picks Make it Official

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Fate Keeps Shoving Penguins; Avoiding Yzerman Splat

Steelers Now:Mason McCormick Expected to Play New Position in 2026

Pittsburgh Sports Now:Former Pitt Star James Conner to Receive Huge Local Honor

The post Pirates Blow Save, Get Walked-Off by Guardians in 2nd Game of Doubleheader appeared first on Pittsburgh Baseball Now.