May 31, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates designated hitter Andrew McCutchen (22) celebrates with the dugout after hitting a single during the seventh inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images Pittsburgh Pirates manager Don Kelly didn’t outwardly panic when his team endured a 26-game streak of not scoring more than four runs in a game.
“Guys were showing up early and putting in the work, continuing to trust the process,” he said, “and I think we’re seeing the results now.”
Pittsburgh rapped 12 hits Saturday night in a 5-0 road win over the San Diego Padres, giving the Pirates a chance to win the series in Sunday’s final game.
While Bailey Falter tossed a two-hit shutout over 6 1/3 innings, the top three hitters in the Pirates’ lineup — Oneil Cruz, Andrew McCutchen and Bryan Reynolds — combined for seven hits and three RBI.
McCutchen hit a solo homer, and Reynolds knocked in two runs, giving him 14 in his last 13 games.
“We’re finding ways to score runs,” Kelly said. “We did it again with the two-out hits. We continue to pass the baton.”
The result enabled Pittsburgh to snap a 10-game losing streak to San Diego, dating to last August.
Left-hander Andrew Heaney (3-4, 3.41 ERA) hopes to lead the Pirates to a series win. He last worked on Monday night, losing 5-0 at Arizona after allowing eight hits and five runs over five innings with three walks and two strikeouts.
Heaney is 3-1 with a 1.99 ERA in six career games against the Padres, although the loss happened on May 4. He was tagged for eight hits and four runs in 3 2/3 innings of a 4-0 defeat, with Xander Bogaerts doubling in two runs and singling in a third.
That continued a career-long trend for both players. Bogaerts is 10-for-18 with two homers and seven RBI when facing Heaney, a matchup that could give Bogaerts a boost he needs to pump life into some moribund numbers for his season. After going 0-for-3 Saturday night, Bogaerts’ batting average dropped to .241.
Then again, he wasn’t alone. San Diego has just five hits in the series’ first two games, although it pulled out a 3-2 win on Friday night.
As for Saturday’s game, “Tonight clearly wasn’t the night that’s representative of us,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said. “But the preparation and work before the game is really good. We (still) have a chance to win our third series in a row, which is good.”
Right-hander Randy Vasquez (3-4, 3.58 ERA) will take the mound Sunday for San Diego, fresh off his longest outing of the year. He lasted 6 1/3 innings Monday in his team’s 4-3, 11-inning win over Miami, allowing six hits and three runs with a walk and five strikeouts.
Vasquez faced the Pirates on May 3 in Pittsburgh, scuffling through five innings of his team’s 2-1 victory. He gave up six hits and five walks but kept the damage to one run, fanning three. Vasquez has no record in three games against the Pirates, pitching to a 3.00 ERA.
–Field Level Media
