ONEIL CRUZ NEWS

Jack Flaherty strikes out 10, Shohei Ohtani goes deep to lead Dodgers past Pirates, 9-5

Jack Flaherty struck out 10 in his Dodger Stadium debut, Shohei Ohtani’s two-run homer highlighted a five-run third inning and Los Angeles beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-5

AUGUST 10 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Luis Arráez caps 3-run 9th with RBI double, Padres rally for 7-6 win and series sweep of Pirates

Luis Arráez hit an RBI double to cap a three-run ninth inning that put the San Diego Padres ahead for a 7-6 win and series sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates

AUGUST 8 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Making return to lineup Cruz (illness) will start at shortstop and bat third in Thursday's game against the Padres.

Impact Cruz had been out of the lineup in both of the past two games, but his usage off the bench in Wednesday's 9-8 extra-inning loss was an indication his return to the starting nine was imminent. He'll take back his usual spot in the lineup for the series finale as the Pirates look to avoid a sweep.

AUGUST 8 • ROTOWIRE

Merrill leads Padres against the Pirates after 4-hit outing

The San Diego Padres take on the Pittsburgh Pirates after Jackson Merrill had four hits on Wednesday in a 9-8 win over the Pirates

AUGUST 8 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Sitting again Wednesday Cruz (illness) is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Padres, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribunereports.

Impact The 25-year-old was held out of Tuesday's starting nine due to an illness and will sit for a second straight game Wednesday. Isiah Kiner-Falefa will receive another look at shortstop while Jared Triolo starts at second base with Cruz under the weather.

AUGUST 7 • ROTOWIRE

Battling illness Cruz was unavailable for Tuesday's game against the Padres due to an illness, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.

Impact Cruz had started every game since the All-Star break, slashing .300/.354/.583 with three homers and 12 RBI in 15 games before his illness forced him to sit down Tuesday. Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Jared Triolo made up the middle of Pittsburgh's infield while Cruz was sidelined, and they would both likely get the starting nod again if the 25-year-old slugger is unable to play Wednesday.

AUGUST 7 • ROTOWIRE

Taking seat Tuesday Cruz is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Padres.

Impact Cruz will sit Tuesday after a stretch of 17 straight starts, during which he had a .290/.333/.551 slash line with seven doubles, three homers, four steals, 15 RBI and 11 runs. Isiah Kiner-Falefa will shift to shortstop while Jared Triolo starts at second base.

AUGUST 6 • ROTOWIRE

Pederson's HR rallies Diamondbacks to a 6-5 win; no-decision for Pirates rookie Paul Skenes

Joc Pederson’s three-run home run in the seventh inning rallied the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 6-5 win as Pittsburgh Pirates rookie Paul Skenes got a no-decision after taking a shut...

AUGUST 4 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Pirates and Diamondbacks meet with series tied 1-1

The Pittsburgh Pirates and Arizona Diamondbacks play on Sunday with the winner claiming the three-game series

AUGUST 4 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Five hits against D-backs Cruz went 5-for-5 with a double, two runs scored, two RBI and a stolen base in Friday's 9-8 loss to the Diamondbacks.

Impact The Pirates as a team managed only 13 hits in total, but Cruz nearly single-handedly kept them in the game with the first five-hit performance of his young career. The 25-year-old shortstop is slashing .311/.357/.589 over 23 games since the beginning of July with five homers, four steals, 15 runs and 20 RBI despite a 32.7 percent strikeout rate during that stretch.

AUGUST 3 • ROTOWIRE

Cruz leads Pirates against the Diamondbacks after 5-hit game

The Pittsburgh Pirates play the Arizona Diamondbacks after Oneil Cruz had five hits against the Diamondbacks on Friday

AUGUST 3 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Newcomer Josh Bell, Ketel Marte each homer twice, Diamondbacks outlast Pirates 9-8

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 on Friday night after b...

AUGUST 3 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Marte, Pederson, newcomer Bell hit consecutive 1st-inning HRs for Diamondbacks in Pittsburgh

Ketel Marte, Joc Pederson and newcomer Josh Bell hit consecutive first-inning home runs for the Arizona Diamondbacks against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night

AUGUST 2 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Pirates start 3-game series with the Diamondbacks

The Pittsburgh Pirates host the Arizona Diamondbacks to start a three-game series

AUGUST 2 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Astros play the Pirates after Diaz's 4-hit game

The Houston Astros take on the Pittsburgh Pirates after Yainer Diaz had four hits against the Pirates on Tuesday

JULY 31 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros play in game 2 of series

The Pittsburgh Pirates lead 1-0 in a three-game series against the Houston Astros

JULY 30 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Homers again Sunday Cruz went 1-for-3 with a solo homer, two walks and two runs scored in Sunday's win over the Diamondbacks.

Impact Cruz finally got the Pirates on the board with a solo blast to right off Joe Mantiply in the sixth for his second homer in as many games. Sunday was also just the third time this season he's drawn multiple walks in one game. Since coming back from the All-Star break, the 25-year-old is hitting .314/.385/.743 with three homers, nine RBI, eight runs and a 4:10 BB:K in 39 plate appearance over nine games.

JULY 29 • ROTOWIRE

Astros host the Pirates in first of 3-game series

The Houston Astros start a three-game series at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday

JULY 29 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Monster home run in loss Cruz went 2-for-4 with a home run, a triple and two runs scored in Saturday's loss to the Diamondbacks.

Impact Cruz jumped on the first pitch he saw from Brandon Pfaadt in the opening frame and launched it 472 feet to right-center field for the shortstop's 16th home run of the campaign and his fourth this month. The 25-year-old would then add his second triple of the season in the sixth before coming around to score on a groundout from Connor Joe. Cruz has put together a nice July thus far, slashing .304 with 11 extra-base hits, 16 RBI and 11 runs scored. Saturday's performance also marked his seventh multi-hit outing this month.

JULY 28 • ROTOWIRE

Cruz pummels longest homer of young career PHOENIX -- Before Friday’s series opener against the D-backs, Oneil Cruz showed off his Herculean strength by demolishing a batting-practice...

JULY 28 • MLB.COM

Ketel Marte drives in 3, Diamondbacks stretch winning streak to 4 with 9-5 victory over Pirates

Ketel Marte homered and had three RBIs, pinch hitter Joc Pederson hit a two-run triple and the Arizona Diamondbacks stretched their winning streak to four games with a 9-5 victory...

JULY 28 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Why the Pirates believe Oneil Cruz is taking the next step The date April 9, 2023 will always be impactful when reviewing the story of Oneil Cruz. Less than a month into what was poised to be his fir...

JULY 24 • POST-GAZETTE.COM

Pirates and Cardinals meet in series rubber match

The Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals meet on Wednesday with the winner claiming the three-game series

JULY 24 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Swipes two bags in win Cruz went 1-for-3 with a walk, one RBI and two stolen bases in Monday's win against the Cardinals.

Impact Cruz logged his first multi-steal game of the season, nabbing second base in both the first and third innings off of Cardinals starter Andre Pallante. The shortstop hasn't been very active on the basepaths this season but he is now 9-for-10 in stolen base attempts. The 25-year-old has had a highly productive July, batting .321 with 3 home runs, 14 RBI, eight runs scored, and three steals across 14 games played.

JULY 23 • ROTOWIRE

Swipes two bags in win Cruz went 1-for-3 with a walk, an RBI and two stolen bases in Monday's win against the Cardinals.

Impact Cruz logged his first multi-steal game of the season, nabbing second base in both the first and third innings off Cardinals starter Andre Pallante. The shortstop hasn't been very active on the basepaths this season but he is now 9-for-10 in stolen base attempts. The 25-year-old has had a highly productive July, batting .321 with three home runs, 14 RBI, eight runs scored, and three steals across 14 games played.

JULY 23 • ROTOWIRE