Pirates Battle Back to Walk Off Orioles in 9th, Nick Yorke the Hero Off Bench

PITTSBURGH — Nick Yorke didn’t enter the game until the bottom of the eight inning but delivered a walk-off double in the ninth to lift the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 3-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday evening.

Scoring Plays

To 4th, 2-0 BAL:The Orioles (3-5) sent eight men to the plate and plated a pair of runs against Pirates starter Carmen Mlodzinski . Dylan Beavers and Leody Taveras each recorded RBI singles.

Bottom 4th, 2-1 BAL:The Pirates (5-3) got on the board on Spencer Horwitz ’s sac fly to left field off right-hander Shane Baz .

Bottom 8th, 2-2:With runners on the corners and two outs, pinch-hitter Jake Mangum grounded a ball weakly to the right of the pitcher’s mound. Orioles right-hander Anthony Nunez was unable to handle the ball for a game-tying RBI single.

Bottom 9th, 3-2 PIT : Bryan Reynolds doubled off Ryan Helsley (0-1) and Ryan O’Hearn was intentionally walked. Nick Yorke, who pinch ran for Marcell Ozuna in the eighth inning, delivered the walk-off blow with an RBI double

Key Moment

Jake Mangum’s RBI infield single — which was perhaps graciously ruled — evened the score after the Pirates looked lifeless on offense for much of the game and set up Nick Yorke’s walk-off.

Player of the Game

Nick Yorke’s game-winning hit was the first walk-off RBI of his career.

Stat to Know

Pittsburgh and Baltimore have had seven straight games decided by one run. Per OptaStats, it is Pittsburgh’s longest stretch of consecutive one-run games against any American League opponent since interleague play began in 1997. It is also the Major League record for consecutive one-run games between any two opponents during interleague play.

Notable Performances

• Carmen Mlodzinski 4.2 innings, five hits, two runs, three walks, five strikeouts, 84 pitches/49 strikes

• Nick Yorke: 1 for 1, one double, one RBI, one run

• Bryan Reynolds: 2 for 4, one double, two runs

Noteworthy

• Carmen Mlodzinski has not allowed a home run in 55.2 consecutive innings, dating back to his appearance last season on July 6 at Seattle . According to the Elias Sports Bureau, that is the longest active streak among Major League pitchers.

• Pirates starting pitchers have a 2.23 ERA (9er/36.1ip) over their past seven games. Each starter during that span has allowed two earned runs or fewer.

• Oneil Cruz had 11 hits in 108 at-bats against left-handed pitchers this season. After a single off Grant Wolfram in the seventh inning, Cruz is now 6 for 8 against southpaws this year.

• Dennis Santana (2-0) was the winning pitcher after a perfect 1-2-3 inning. The win was the Pirates’ fourth in a row.

Up Next

The Pirates will try and complete the sweep over the Orioles on Easter Sunday . RHP Braxton Ashcraft (0-1, 3.00 ERA) will be on the mound for Pittsburgh against veteran RHP Chris Bassitt (0-1, 8.31 ERA). First pitch: 1:35 p.m. ET on SportsNet Pittsburgh/93.7 The Fan.

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