Luis Ortiz scattered three hits and two walks over seven scoreless innings and Oneil Cruz homered and drove in three runs, lifting the host Pittsburgh Pirates to a 4-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday. Andrew McCutchen homered to lead off the sixth inning for the Pirates, who recorded their season-high sixth consecutive win. Pittsburgh began the season by winning its first five games. Ortiz (5-2) struck out two batters and finished with 89 pitches, 59 for strikes. Aroldis Chapman struck out the side on 12 pitches (10 strikes) in the eighth inning, and David Bednar worked around Bryce Harper's solo homer in the ninth to end the game. Philadelphia's J.T. Realmuto went 1-for-3 at the plate and threw out Ke'Bryan Hayes at second base in his return to the lineup. The three-time All-Star catcher had been sidelined since mid-June following right meniscus surgery. Nick Castellanos had a double and Johan Rojas added a single for the Phillies, who have lost three in a row for the second time this season. They also dropped three straight from May 26-28. McCutchen deposited a 3-1 sinker from Cristopher Sanchez (7-5) over the wall in center field to open the scoring in the sixth inning. It was McCutchen's 13th homer of the season and first since July 2. The homer was just the third allowed all season by Sanchez. Pittsburgh tacked on another run as Nick Gonzales had a two-out single before coming around to score on Cruz's double to right field. Cruz's hit chased Sanchez, who surrendered two runs on eight hits in 5 2/3 innings. Bryan Reynolds worked a walk off Matt Strahm to lead off the eighth inning, and three batters later, Cruz sent a 2-2 fastball over the wall in center field. It was his 15th homer of the season and third in his last eight games. Rojas kept the game scoreless in the first inning after his diving catch in center field denied a potential RBI single by Gonzales. --Field Level Media
Jul 20, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Luis L. Ortiz (48) delivers against the Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports