Pirates score winning run in 9th to snap 8-game skid

Though their effort certainly was obscured by their overall performance on the year, the Pittsburgh Pirates managed to post a winning record in the month of June (14-13).

But things have been rough so far in July as the team rode a season-worst eight-game losing streak into Sunday afternoon’s series finale in Minnesota, both clubs’ finale ahead of the All-Star break.

Completing a nine-game road trip, the Pirates beat the Twins, 2-1, at Target Field to snap their skid.

With the score tied 1-1 entering the top of the ninth, the Pirates loaded the bases against Jhoan Duran. Ke’Bryan Hayes, Oneil Cruz (who didn’t start but pinch-hit for Henry Davis) and Isiah Kiner-Falefa collected singles.

Spencer Horwitz then made it 2-1 with a hard-hit RBI groundout to second baseman Brooks Lee, allowing Hayes to score.

David Bednar came on in the ninth to shut the door, picking up his 13th save.

“It felt good to end this losing streak,” shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa said during an on-field postgame interview with SportsNet Pittsburgh. “It’s been a tough road trip. Nice to have a little break. Our pitching staff has been unbelievable, been great all series, all road trip. So it’s nice to support them tonight.”

Mitch Keller (3-10, 3.48 ERA) pitched for the Pirates and took a no-decision, delivering a quality start of six innings, allowing one run on four hits with three strikeouts and zero walks.

Sunday was Keller’s 14th quality start of the season, which leads the Pirates and is tied for second-most in MLB.

The Pirates (39-58) got on the board in the top of the second when Tommy Pham hit a leadoff homer, his fourth of the season, into left-center field.

Following Pham’s homer, the Pirates loaded the bases against Simeon Woods Richardson, with Hayes and Kiner-Falefa singling and Horwitz drawing a walk.

But Andrew McCutchen flew out for the final out.

In the third, Harrison Bader led off with a base hit. After Bader advanced to second on Christian Vazquez groundout, Byron Buxton doubled him home, tying the score.

Sunday proved to be a short outing for Woods Richardson, who was removed with two men on and two outs in the top of the fifth.

Minnesota reliever Louis Varland ended the inning with one pitch, getting Nick Gonzales to ground out and closing the book on Woods Richardson’s afternoon.

Keller was sharp early, aside from the run allowed in the third, as he successfully navigated around a leadoff double by Carlos Correa in the second.

“For him not getting the run support and being able to continue to focus through that, continue to pitch his game throughout all of that – tremendous,” manager Don Kelly said of Keller, who threw 56 of his 83 pitches for strikes.

The top of the sixth was sloppy for the Pirates as Pham failed to hustle down the first-base line after hitting a grounder to third base and Jack Suwinski was picked off at first after walking.

Hayes then struck out looking to end the frame.

In the seventh, Kiner-Falefa got aboard with his third hit of the afternoon and advanced to second on a Horwitz groundout, but the Pirates stranded him versus Twins reliever Brock Stewart.

In the top of the eighth, the Pirates went down in order against Griffin Jax. Dennis Santana kept the game scoreless in the bottom of the inning despite allowing two singles.

Santana (3-2, 1.56 ERA) was Sunday’s winning pitcher, with Caleb Ferguson contributing a scoreless seventh out of the bullpen.

Kiner-Falefa went 4 for 4 in the win.

“We needed that one,” Kelly said. “Mitch again did a phenomenal job, pitched deep into the game and gave us a chance. We ended up against one of the best closers in the game and were able to come through there.”