SAN DIEGO — The Pittsburgh Pirates ended their losing streak against the San Diego Padres with a 5-0 victory on Saturday night, powered by Andrew McCutchen’s impressive home run and strong pitching by Bailey Falter and the bullpen.
McCutchen smashed a 396-foot homer into the second deck in left field off of pitcher Dylan Cease, marking his fourth home run of the season and putting him just one shy of tying Roberto Clemente for third place on the Pirates’ all-time home run list with 240.
Bailey Falter (4-3) delivered a solid performance on the mound, limiting the Padres to two singles over 6 1/3 innings, with one strikeout and one walk. The Pirates’ bullpen trio of Caleb Ferguson, Dennis Santana, and David Bednar combined for hitless relief to keep the Padres off the scoreboard.
Cease (1-4), who had previously pitched the second no-hitter in Padres history, faced difficulties on Saturday. He has not secured a win since April 2 against Cleveland, struggling against the Pirates by allowing three runs on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings while striking out six and walking one.
The Pirates’ offense got off to a fast start, with the first three batters reaching base against Cease. Bryan Reynolds drove in Oneil Cruz, who had doubled to lead off the game, with a single. In the fourth inning, Adam Frazier doubled and was driven home by a single from Ke’Bryan Hayes after two outs, continuing the pressure on Cease.
The Pirates seized further control in the seventh inning, adding two more runs. With one out, Yuki Matsui surrendered four consecutive hits, including an RBI double by Reynolds and an RBI single by Spencer Horwitz. Bradgley Rodriguez made his MLB debut for the Padres and induced a double play on his second pitch, showcasing his potential.
A crucial defensive moment occurred when Rodriguez fielded a weak ground ball by Alexander Canario, executing an inning-ending double play by throwing to second baseman Jake Cronenworth.
Falter’s excellent form continued as he improved to 3-0 in May, providing the Pirates much-needed stability on the mound.
The series is set to conclude on Sunday with Pirates left-hander Andrew Heaney (3-4, 3.41 ERA) facing Padres right-hander Randy Vásquez.