Pittsburgh Review

Nick Gonzales went to bat looking for a strike and something hard. The Pirates’ second baseman knew José Alvarado could ramp it up into triple digits, but there was also that cutter that can tail away from right-handers, which matched where he wanted to do damage.

“I was just trying to get something a little away from me and I just hit it hard,” Gonzales said.

Gonzales got a hold of Alvarado’s first-pitch cutter in the ninth inning Friday and shot a base hit through the left side of the infield to send the majority of the PNC Park crowd home happy. After trailing for most of the night, Gonzales’ single gave the Pirates their first and only lead of the night, walking off the Phillies to win 8-7.

Friday night had the makings of a team being caught flat-footed out of the All-Star break. Starter Martín Pérez’s slump continued, and he was pulled in the fourth inning after allowing six runs on the night. The Pirates were facing the team with the best record in baseball. They played from behind for most of the night.

And yet, it was Gonzales and his teammates who were celebrating on the right side of the diamond postgame.

“I think it would’ve been really easy to fold after the first inning, especially going against the Phillies,” Gonzales said. “But nobody here in the dugout, nobody in this clubhouse did that. So kudos to them. And kudos to the coaching staff, too.”

That first inning was arguably the worst for Pérez, who faced the entire Phillies lineup and allowed three runs before leaving the bases loaded. The offense quickly struck back against Aaron Nola in response, with Oneil Cruz lining an RBI double that had an exit velocity of 120.5 mph, the second-hardest hit ball for him—and all of Major League Baseball—this season. He would later come home on a Rowdy Tellez sacrifice fly, setting a Pirates single-game record with three sac flies.

Down 7-6 in the ninth inning, Connor Joe lined a single through the left side of the infield and gave way to pinch-runner Michael A. Taylor, which set up a pivotal moment. First-base coach Tarrik Brock spotted an opportunity to run, and with two on and nobody out, Taylor and Andrew McCutchen pulled off a double steal to move within 90 feet of tying.

"In a situation where we thought we were going to take a chance, we took a good chance,” said manager Derek Shelton.

Cruz followed by bouncing a ball off home plate for a game-tying fielder’s choice, and Gonzales lined the next pitch to left to secure victory.

“To come out and play as complete a game as we did and do all the little things we needed to do—yeah, really excited about how they responded," Shelton said.

The win positions Pittsburgh above .500 again with a record of 49-48. They have won five consecutive games dating back before the All-Star break. With only nine more games left before July 30 Trade Deadline and facing teams with winning records competing for playoff spots, every victory strengthens their case for aggressive moves.

The playoffs have been an objective for Pittsburgh throughout this season. The team feels they are building momentum towards that goal.

“We talk about it a lot,” Tellez said. “We’ve had guys here win some World Series titles... Younger players ask questions about it; I always say there’s nothing more driving than getting to playoffs.”