The Pittsburgh Pirates were looking for a series split in their fourth and final game against the Philadelphia Phillies Sunday at Citizens Bank Park, and Jack Suwinski’s sixth-inning grand slam provided the necessary boost, powering his club to a 9-2 win.
Pirates starter Mitch Keller (2-1, 4.50 ERA) recorded his second straight quality start, allowing two runs on eight hits in seven innings.
Keller outdueled the Phillies’ Zack Wheeler (0-3, 3.00 ERA), who was removed in the sixth inning after allowing the grand slam to Suwinski.
“Mitch’s start, we cannot overlook that,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “You’re talking about going against a guy who’s a No. 1 (pitcher), and he gave us seven strong (innings), was really efficient and did a really nice job.”
Andrew McCutchen provided some ninth-inning fireworks for the Pirates (11-5), blasting his 300th career home run, a two-run shot off Ricardo Pinto.
From the moment the ball left his bat, to rounding the bases and making it back to the dugout, McCutchen’s teammates were ready to celebrate with him.
“I’m just going to be happy for him,” Keller said. “I know it’s been a long time coming since last year. Finally, just to be able to do it, it’s a weight off the shoulders and I couldn’t be happier for him.”
McCutchen, who had been stuck on 299 homers since late August of last year, concurred about feeling relieved.
“I’m happy that it’s over with,” he said. “Been sitting on that for a while.”
The win moves the Pirates to 8-3 on the road.
Wheeler was dealing through five innings, striking out 10 Pirates, but his start unraveled in the sixth.
Ke’Bryan Hayes reached base on an error, Rowdy Tellez walked and McCutchen blooped a single into center field to load the bases with no outs. Suwinski then hit his second career grand slam, his second homer of the season, to make it 5-2
Joey Bart added a solo shot that inning off reliever Seranthony Dominguez to make it 6-2.
Philadelphia struck first when Trea Turner hit a solo shot off Keller in the third inning.
The Pirates tied it in the fourth as a result of sloppy defense by the Phillies, with McCutchen stealing home to make it 1-1.
Turner struck again in the fifth with an RBI single off Keller, but from there on out, all the offense belonged to the Pirates.
After their big sixth inning, the Pirates scored another run in the eighth, when a passed ball by catcher J.T. Realmuto allowed Jared Triolo to score from third after Michael A. Taylor drew a walk.
Keller’s day ended after seven innings and 95 pitches, after which Josh Fleming and Ryder Ryan each threw scoreless innings.
Oneil Cruz was 0 for 5 with four strikeouts in the win, and Hayes, Tellez, McCutchen and Suwinski all had multi-hit games.
