Andrew McCutchen’s three-run homer and five shutout innings by the bullpen lifted the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 9-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night in Anaheim, Calif.
McCutchen’s second homer of the season, off Angels starter Jose Soriano in the fourth inning, put Pittsburgh up 5-1 before five relievers combined to keep Los Angeles hitless after the fourth.
Chase Shugart (1-0) retired all six batters he faced in two innings, while David Bednar, Justin Lawrence, Dennis Santana and Ryan Borucki combined to throw the final three innings as Pittsburgh snapped a three-game skid.
The Pirates finished with a season-high 18 hits, including three each by Bryan Reynolds (two RBIs), Tommy Pham and Isiah Kiner-Falefa (two RBIs).
Taylor Ward homered for Los Angeles, his sixth of the season and one of just five hits for the Angels, who have lost six of their past eight.
Soriano (2-3) struggled from the outset but worked out of trouble in the first two innings before the Pirates broke through in the third and fourth innings.
Soriano surrendered three hits and two walks during the Pirates’ two-run third, including back-to-back RBI singles by Joey Bart and Ke’Bryan Hayes. In the fourth, singles by Oneil Cruz and Reynolds preceded McCutchen’s three-run blast — a 417-foot shot to left-center — that chased Soriano.
Pirates starter Bailey Falter allowed Ward’s solo homer in the third before the Angels added two runs in the fourth to cut their deficit to 5-3.
With one out, Jorge Soler doubled and went to third on a single by Logan O’Hoppe. Nolan Schanuel plated the first run of the inning with a sacrifice fly, then Jo Adell doubled home O’Hoppe.
Falter was finished after four innings, having allowed three runs on five hits. He struck out five and did not walk a batter. Soriano endured his worst start of the season, lasting just 3 1/3 innings and yielding five runs on eight hits and four walks on 85 pitches. He fanned two.
–Field Level Media
