08/25/26 11:15:00
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08/25 23:13 CDT Oneil Cruz homers off Mason Miller in 9th, sending Pirates to a
1-0 win over Padres
Oneil Cruz homers off Mason Miller in 9th, sending Pirates to a 1-0 win over
Padres
By GREG BEACHAM
AP Sports Writer
SAN DIEGO (AP) --- Oneil Cruz hit the first homer allowed by Mason Miller in
over a year with two outs in the ninth Tuesday night, sending the Pittsburgh
Pirates to a 1-0 victory over the San Diego Padres.
Cruz improbably lined a low 98-mph pitch from Miller (4-2) into Petco Park's
short porch in right field for his 17th homer. Miller, the Padres' All-Star
closer and Pittsburgh native, hadn't let anybody go deep on him in 73
consecutive appearances since Arizona's Lourdes Gurriel Jr. did it Aug. 5,
2025, in Miller's second appearance for his new team.
Gregory Soto (6-4) threw a scoreless eighth for Pittsburgh, and Mason
Montgomery earned his sixth save.
Paul Skenes pitched six innings of three-hit ball in a solid rebound by the
Pirates' reigning NL Cy Young Award winner, but Michael King allowed five hits
over seven scoreless innings in his latest strong start for the Padres.
San Diego didn't get a hit off the Pirates' bullpen while losing consecutive
games for the first time since July 23, interrupting a 21-7 surge into playoff
position.
Skenes had gone 0-3 with a 6.46 ERA in his past five starts, leading Pittsburgh
to give extra rest to its ace last week. He was back on form in his native
Southern California, throttling the Padres and issuing no walks while his
fastball again touched 98 mph, assuaging concerns about his downtick in
velocity earlier this month.
After King escaped a bases-loaded jam in the first, the veteran righty found a
groove and matched his longest start of the season while striking out seven.
Up next
Bubba Chandler (6-8, 4.38 ERA) takes the mound for the Pirates on Wednesday.
Randy Vsquez (9-6, 4.19) is likely to get the bulk of the innings for the
Padres.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
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