Skenes outing cut short by rain delay; Rays rally past Pirates
AP Photo/Tom E. Puskar
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pirates’ Paul Skenes escaped an early jam and was rolling along with a three-hitter through four innings against Tampa Bay.
Then the rains came, causing a two-plus hour delay. Skenes would not return and Pittsburgh’s 4-0 lead quickly dissolved once the game resumed.
Cedric Mullins led off the 13th inning with a two-run home run and the Rays outlasted the Pirates 8-7 on a wet Saturday night.
Mullins’ blast to right field off Yohan Ramirez scored automatic runner Jonny DeLuca. Mullins entered the day hitting just .129 after signing with Tampa Bay in the offseason as a free agent.
Griffin Jax (1-2) pitched a scoreless 12th. Yoendrys Gomez allowed a run-scoring single to rookie Konnor Griffin in the bottom of the 13th, then struck out Joey Bart with runners on second and third to end it.
Both teams scored a run in the 11th. The Rays’ Taylor Walls came around from first on a wild pickoff throw by Ramirez (2-1). The Pirates countered with Griffin’s run-scoring fielder’s choice.
Pittsburgh tied it at 5 in the eighth on rookie Nick Yorke’s RBI single.
The first pitch was moved up 30 minutes in hopes that the teams could beat the rain. However, play was stopped for 2 hours, 27 minutes, with the Pirates leading 4-0.
The Rays then scored five runs in the fifth to take a 5-4 lead. Junior Caminero doubled in the first run and scored on Jonathan Aranda’s single. Two batters later, pinch-hitter DeLuca lined a two-run single to center field, and Mullins followed with a go-ahead single.
Skenes, pitching on his bobblehead day in front of a sellout crowd at PNC Park, escaped a bases-loaded jam with none out in the second. The 2025 NL Cy Young Award winner walked none and struck out five before his departure.
Rays starter Drew Rasmussen gave up two-run home runs to Ryan O’Hearn in the first inning and Marcell Ozuna in the fourth, but the Pirates couldn’t hold the 4-0 lead.