The Pittsburgh Pirates hit three home runs and Bailey Falter delivered a solid start in a 7-2 win against the visiting Seattle Mariners on Saturday.
Falter (6-7) notched a career-high-tying eight strikeouts while holding Seattle to two runs on eight hits in 5 2/3 innings. The Pirates have won two straight after a 10-game losing streak and snapped a skid of four consecutive series losses.
The Mariners have lost five straight and eight of their past 12.
Seattle had a chance to rally in the ninth. Pirates reliever Domingo German loaded the bases with nobody out on a walk and hit two batters before closer David Bednar stepped in and retired the next three batters for his 22nd save of the season.
Up by one after five innings, Pittsburgh extended its lead over the next two. In the sixth, Joey Bart doubled to open the frame and scored on Bryan De La Cruz’s one-out single.
That ended the outing for Mariners starter Luis Castillo (10-12), who allowed four runs on five hits, walked three and struck out six in 5 1/3 innings.
Right-hander JT Chargois came in and got the final two outs but didn’t make it out of the seventh.
With one out, Jared Triolo sent a slider 411 feet into the left field seats for his fifth homer of the season, pushing the lead to 5-2. Isiah Kiner-Falefa followed with a single.
Chargois was pulled for Tayler Saucedo, who didn’t fare much better.
Bart doubled to bring in Kiner-Falefa, then Rowdy Tellez’s ensuing double drove in Bart to make it 7-2.
In the fourth, Oneil Cruz drew a leadoff walk and stole second. One out later, Tellez put one just over the center field wall, his 10th of the season, for a 3-1 advantage.
The lead was narrowed to one run in the fifth when Seattle’s Jorge Polanco brought Julio Rodriguez in with a double.
Pittsburgh went ahead 1-0 in the first with Kiner-Falefa (3-for-4) knocking a leadoff shot to center field, his eighth of the season and first with the Pirates.
Seattle tied it in the second. Mitch Haniger singled with one out, advanced to third on Leo Rivas’ two-out single and came in to score when Victor Robles connected for the third single of the inning.
–Field Level Media