CLEVELAND — This article originally appeared on PGHBaseballNOW.com.
The Pirates (51-47) won their fourth game in a row on Saturday, July 18, maintaining their momentum through the All-Star Break and a smoke-induced postponement with a 7-1 win. Jared Jones pitched lights out, shiny new trade acquisition Jacob Gonzales homered, and rookie Esmerlyn Valdez continued his historic hot streak in the first leg of a doubleheader.
Scoring Plays
Top 2nd, 2-0 PIT: Pirates trade acquisition Jacob Gonzalez hit a two-run homer in his second at-bat with the team, smoking the ball 428 feet to right.
Bottom 3rd, 2-1 PIT: Cleveland got one back in the bottom of the third on a two-out triple from Travis Bazzana; Jared Jones managed to limit the damage to one run.
Top 6th, 5-1 PIT: Pittsburgh’s punishing swings continued in the sixth inning with home runs from star rookie Esmerlyn Valdez and the Pirates’ other Gonzales, Nick.
Top 8th, 7-1 PIT: Brandon Lowe singled and Bryan Reynolds doubled to begin the inning, each advancing 90 feet on a wild pitch that plated Lowe. Ryan O’Hearn lofted a sacrifice fly to right to make it 7-1.
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