Starting pitcher Jared Jones recovered after a shaky first inning to deliver a quality outing and help the Pittsburgh Pirates even their series with a 4-3 win against the visiting Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday.
Jones (5-6), who gave up one walk and hit two batters in the first, went seven innings, allowing two runs on three hits, striking out eight and walking three. Aroldis Chapman gave up one run on one hit in the ninth for the save.
Bryan Reynolds extended his hitting streak to a career-best 19 games.
Rays starter Zach Eflin (3-5) allowed four runs on five hits in seven innings, striking out six with one walk.
Pittsburgh broke a 1-1 tie in the third. Andrew McCutchen tripled with and then scored when Reynolds hit a line-drive single through the gap into left field. After Oneil Cruz drew a walk, Rowdy Tellez’s single to right field scored Reynolds to make it 3-1. Nick Gonzales grounded into a fielder’s choice, scoring Cruz and pushing the Pirates’ advantage to 4-1.
Tampa Bay got one back in the fourth. Richie Palacios singled, stole second and eventually scored when Ben Rortvedt hit a single to left field, which Reynolds lost in the sun, to narrow it to 4-2.
Yandy Diaz pulled the Rays within one in the ninth, driving in Jose Caballero with a two-out double.
Jones struggled in the first and the Rays capitalized. Brandon Lowe was hit by a pitch and Randy Arozarena drew a walk, giving them two on with one out. A wild pitch moved them to second and third, and then Josh Lowe drove in Brandon Lowe with a groundout to put Tampa up 1-0.
The Pirates responded.
With two outs in the first, Cruz clobbered a first-pitch curveball, sending it 445 feet to right field to tie it 1-1.
Rays’ hybrid utility man Amed Rosario left the game in the first inning after he was hit in the head by a fastball. He sustained facial lacerations, per the Bally Sun Sports broadcast.
Palacios, who entered the game for Rosario, went 2-for-3.
–Field Level Media