Pirates Snap 10-Game Skid with 5-3 Win Over Mariners
The Pittsburgh Pirates finally ended their 10-game losing streak with a 5-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Friday night. Right-hander Paul Skenes pitched six strong innings, striking out six and allowing two runs, to earn his first win since July 11.
Skenes, who was 0-2 in his previous starts, was happy to see the Pirates get their first win since August 3, rather than ending his personal drought. “It feels good. Definitely doesn’t feel good that we had the streak in the first place,” Skenes said. “It’s nice to do it at home and get it out of the way. Hopefully, we can put it behind us.”
Pirates manager Derek Shelton was impressed with Skenes’ performance, despite not being at his best. “It didn’t look like he was in sync with his delivery throughout the entire game, and he was still able to give us a good start and give us a chance to win and he got the win,” Shelton said.
The Pirates took the lead for good in the fifth inning, thanks to a two-run homer by Yasmani Grandal and a sacrifice fly by Andrew McCutchen. Oneil Cruz’s two-run double in the seventh inning gave the Pirates a three-run cushion.
David Bednar weathered a rocky ninth inning to earn his 21st save. Jorge Polanco homered leading off the inning and pulled the Mariners within 5-3, but Bednar struck out the final three batters to secure the win.
The Mariners lost their fourth consecutive game after being swept in a three-game set in Detroit. Seattle entered the game three games behind first-place Houston in the American League West and 3 ½ games out of the third wild card.
“We had good at-bats against Skenes,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “We wanted to be aggressive, and we stuck to the plan. It’s just that he’s a really good pitcher. We did a good job against him. We played a good game after a bad series in Detroit, but we just happened to lose.”
The Pirates will look to build on their win on Saturday, when they face the Mariners again. Luis Castillo will start for the Mariners, while Bailey Falter will take the mound for the Pirates.
