Michael Perez and Bryan Reynolds each hit a three-run homer in the seventh inning Saturday to lift the Pittsburgh Pirates past the visiting Cleveland Indians 6-3.
A day after the teams combined for 21 runs, they dialed it back a little, although all the runs came via homers. The Pirates have won the first two games of the series after losing their previous 10 straight games.
Pittsburgh starter Wil Crowe went 4 2/3 innings. Two of the four hits he allowed were homers. He walked two and struck out two. Chris Stratton (2-0) pitched two scoreless, one-hit innings.
Harold Ramirez hit two solo homers and Rene Rivera one for the Indians.
Cleveland starter Cal Quantrill pitched five three-hit shutout innings, with two walks and two strikeouts.
Bryan Shaw (1-2) gave up four runs on just one hit and walked three in the seventh without getting an out.
The Indians played without third baseman Jose Ramirez, who left Friday’s game after being hit with a pitch in his left ankle area.
With one out in the second, Harold Ramirez homered to left, his fourth, for a 1-0 Indians lead.
Rivera led off with a homer to left in the third to make it 2-0. It was his first home run since 2019.
In the seventh against Shaw, Ben Gamel and Kevin Newman drew back-to-back walks to lead off. Perez followed with his fifth homer, to right, to put the Pirates on top 3-2. Pinch-hitter Ka’ai Tom drew a four-pitch walk, chasing Shaw.
James Karinchak entered and walked Adam Frazier after taking him to a full count. Ke’Bryan Hayes struck out before Reynolds hit his team-leading 12th homer, an estimated 428-foot shot to right that reached the Allegheny River, for Pittsburgh’s second three-run dinger of the inning and a 6-2 lead.
Colin Moran walked, chasing Karinchak. Nick Sandlin entered and walked Gregory Polanco before getting the final two outs of the inning. The Pirates sent 11 players to the plate, collecting six walks and the two homers.
Harold Ramirez homered to lead off the ninth, this one to left-center and matching Reynolds’ estimated distance of 428 feet, to close it to 6-3.
–Field Level Media