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Luis Ortiz shelled, Oneil Cruz records 5 hits and Pirates fall to Diamondbacks

Pittsburgh Pirates' Oneil Cruz watches his RBI single during the fifth inning Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Pittsburgh. Associated Press

PITTSBURGH — Josh Bell homered from both sides of the plate in his Arizona debut, Ketel Marte also hit two home runs and the Diamondbacks beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-8 Friday night after blowing a five-run lead.

Acquired Tuesday from the Miami Marlins for cash considerations, Bell tied the game at 7 with two outs in the seventh with his second home run of the night, hammering Aroldis Chapman’s slider 370 feet to right.

Geraldo Perdomo, after fouling a ball off the inside of his right knee, drove a sweeper from Colin Holderman (3-3) to the gap in right-center for a go-ahead double in the eighth.

Marte then hit his second homer of the game and 26th of the season in the ninth off an 0-1 cutter from Dennis Santana.

Justin Martínez (5-2) struck out the side with one walk in the eighth for the victory.

Oneil Cruz led off the ninth for Pittsburgh with a single, his fifth hit, and scored on Rowdy Tellez's one-out RBI single. Ryan Thompson then got Joey Bart and Ke'Bryan Hayes to ground out for his second save.

Cruz's RBI single in the sixth put Pittsburgh — down 5-0 in the first — ahead 7-6. Andrew McCutchen scored on the slow dribbler, initially called out on a throw by second baseman Marte before it was overturned on a challenge.

McCutchen and Bryan Reynolds hit RBI singles ahead of Cruz in a four-run sixth.

The Diamondbacks scored on their first four at-bats against Luis Ortiz, who allowed six runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Leadoff batter Corbin Carroll tripled down the right-field line before going home when a relay from Cruz got past Hayes at third.

Marte followed with first homer. Joc Pederson then sent a slider from Luis Ortiz 430 feet to right and into the Allegheny River, and Bell made it three straight homers with one to right-center on the first pitch he saw as a Diamondback. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. later scored on a groundout from Alek Thomas.

Bart hit an RBI single in the fourth before McCutchen and Reynolds had consecutive two-out doubles in the fifth. Cruz cut it to 5-3 on a single off Brandon Pfaadt, who gave up three runs and seven hits in five innings.

Thomas had an RBI single for Arizona in the sixth.

Trainer’s room

Pirates: INF/OF Isiah Kiner-Falefa (left knee sprain) began a rehab assignment with Double-A Altoon. Acquired in a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday, the 29-year-old utilityman has been on the IL since July 2.

Up next

RHP Mitch Keller (10-5, 3.30 ERA) was set to start Saturday for the Pirates, opposite LHP Jordan Montgomery (7-5, 6.51).

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