ONEIL CRUZ

Albert Pujols hit his 703rd home run, breaking a tie with Babe Ruth for second place in career RBIs, but the St. Louis Cardinals lost to Pittsburgh 3-2 when the Pirates drew four consecutive walks in the ninth inning to force home the winning run.

Arizona DiamondbacksEarly hitters: 3 | Early pitchers: 0 | Top 100 prospects: 5Mark it down now: The Diamondbacks are going to be dangerous in 2023, and potentially full-on good. Cincinnati RedsEarly hitters: 2 | Early pitchers: 4 | Top 100 prospects: 5The Reds partially redeemed a depressing offseason with a strong run of moves this summer. Chicago CubsEarly hitters: 2 | Early pitchers: 4 | Top 100 prospects: 6Building the base of a contending team isn’t all hotshot prospects and major trades. Washington NationalsEarly hitters: 2 | Early pitchers: 0 | Top 100 prospects: 6Well, they traded Juan Soto. Detroit TigersEarly hitters: 1 | Early pitchers: 1 | Top 100 prospects: 3Preseason expectations can be like funhouse mirrors.

Jacob deGrom struck out 13 batters — the most ever for a Mets pitcher who threw five or fewer innings — but didn’t factor into the decision.

Albert Pujols hit his 697th home run, moving past Alex Rodriguez into fourth place on the career list and doing it in dramatic fashion with a ninth-inning drive that rallied the St. Louis Cardinals over the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3.

PITTSBURGH — (AP) — Albert Pujols hit his 696th home run, tying Alex Rodriguez for fourth place on the career list, and the St. Louis Cardinals rallied past the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-5 Saturday night. The 42-year-old Pujols has 22 games left in his 22nd and final season in the big leagues. With St. Louis down 3-1 in the sixth, Pujols connected on a first-pitch slider from JT Brubaker. Pirates: RHP David Bednar threw a live batting practice on Saturday. Quintana and RHP Chris Stratton were sent to St. Louis on Aug. 1 in a trade that moved RHP Johan Oviedo and INF Malcolm Nuñez to the Pirates.

Albert Pujols hit his 696th home run, tying Alex Rodriguez for fourth place on the career list, and the St. Louis Cardinals rallied past the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-5.

Mehall, a Pirates fan, was thrilled to get the souvenir — especially after it dinged her in the leg and lip. An inning later, though, a Pirates official came to request the bat back and offered another one in a trade. “We wanted to keep it, but security said we couldn’t,” said Mehall, who is originally from Western Pennsylvania. He got the women a bat bearing the signature of Phillies star slugger Bryce Harper. It was a nice gesture by Morandini, though the women seemed genuinely upset about not being able to hang onto the bat they caught.

Bryce Harper hit a two-run single in his first at-bat after a 52-game absence due to a broken left thumb, helping the streaking Philadelphia Phillies to a 7-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Things got sticky when a fan at a Philadelphia Phillies game caught Oneil Cruz’s bat and didn't want to give it back.

Oneil Cruz’s bat slipped out of his hands and went flying into the stands after the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie struck out in the third inning Friday night against Philadelphia. Mehall, a Pirates fan, was thrilled to get the souvenir — especially after it dinged her in the leg and lip. An inning later, though, a Pirates official came to request the bat back and offered another one in a trade.

PITTSBURGH — (AP) — If the goal of swinging a bat is to hit the ball hard, then Oneil Cruz did it better than anyone. New York Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton previously had the record for the hardest-hit ball, reaching 122.2 mph in 2017 and again last year. “At the moment, I didn’t even think I hit the ball that hard,” said the 23-year-old Cruz. Instead, it caromed to Atlanta right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr. and Cruz had no shot at extra bases. I mean, that’s going to be fun to watch.”___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsCopyright 2022 The Associated Press.

Pittsburgh Pirates rookie Oneil Cruz has recorded the hardest-hit ball in the seven years that Major League Baseball has measured exit velocity.

Pittsburgh infielder Rodolfo Castro lost his phone on the field and the Pirates were stymied by rookie Tommy Henry in a 6-4 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Ryan McKenna hit a two-run double in the fifth inning, and the Baltimore Orioles won their fifth straight game, 6-3 over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Willson Contreras drew a standing ovation in perhaps his last home game at Wrigley Field, then keyed an early burst as the Chicago Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-2 for their season-high sixth straight win.

Marlins Pirates Baseball Miami Marlins starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara throws against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first inning of a baseball game, Sunday, July 24, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger) (Barry Reeger)PITTSBURGH — (AP) — Nick Fortes and Miguel Rojas hit RBI singles in the 10th inning and the Miami Marlins beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-5 on Sunday. The Marlins took two of three from the Pirates after losing their previous four. Miami ace Sandy Alcantara struck out 10 in six innings, allowing two runs and two hits and leaving with a 1.81 ERA. Pirates: RHP JT Brubaker (2-8, 4.02) will take the mound Monday for the first of a two-game set at the Chicago Cubs.

Nick Fortes and Miguel Rojas hit RBI singles in the 10th inning and the Miami Marlins beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-5.

New York Yankees prospect Jasson Dominguez and Minnesota’s Matt Wallner hit two-run homers in the third inning, leading the American League over the National 6-4 in the annual Futures Game of top prospects.

Miami Marlins shortstop Miguel Rojas, left, looses part of a tooth after colliding with Pittsburgh Pirates' Oneil Cruz as Cruz was attempting to steal second base during the ninth inning of a baseball game, Thursday, July 14, 2022, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)Miami Marlins shortstop Miguel Rojas had to leave a game on Thursday after a collision with Pittsburgh Pirates rookie Oneil Cruz, the reason why became very clear on replay. Cruz attempted to steal second base, but was caught on a perfect throw from Marlins catcher Nick Fortes. As the 6-foot-7 Cruz popped up, his helmet made direct contact with Rojas' mouth. Miguel Rojas lost a piece of his tooth when Oneil Cruz popped up on this slide pic.twitter.com/qQNlMDZ5FM — Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) July 14, 2022Further replay confirmed the situation to be gnarly.

Brian Anderson atoned for a costly error with a two-run triple in the 11th inning and the Miami Marlins beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-2 Thursday afternoon.

Cubs Pirates Baseball Pittsburgh Pirates' Oneil Cruz, second from right, stands for the singing of the National Anthem before a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Pittsburgh, Monday, June 20, 2022. One of the biggest pieces — literally and metaphorically — of the revival that Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington has methodically orchestrated since taking over in November 2019 looked every bit as good as advertised in his 2022 debut. Those days may be numbered, even if the finished product Cherington is tasked with delivering in Pittsburgh remains a ways off. The Pirates are well under .500 weeks before the All-Star break and struggle to get PNC Park a third filled most nights. “There’s going to be twists and turns, left turns and right turns," Cherington said.

Highly touted Pirates shortstop prospect Oneil Cruz is leading the charge of young players that the club hopes to build around.

Oneil Cruz untucked the No. 15 jersey hugging the shoulders of his wiry 6-foot-7 inch frame, turned his hat backward then flashed a smile that needed no translation. One of the biggest pieces — literally and metaphorically — of the revival that Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington has methodically orchestrated since taking over in November 2019 looked every bit as good as advertised in his 2022 debut. The hardest-hit ball and the fastest sprint around the bases by a Pirate through 66 games, too, a madcap dash that drove in three runs and ended with Cruz practically cackling as he made his way from second to third.

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He was playing in the third big league game of his career. Daniel Vogelbach hit a two-run double in the Pirates’ big seventh inning and Tyler Heineman’s RBI double made it 12-1. Cruz is the third shortstop in big league history to have seven RBIs in his first three career games along with Hall of Famer Paul Molitor and Trevor Story. Madris became the first Pirates player to have a hit, RBI and stolen base in his first big league game since Andrew McCutchen in 2009. Pirates: RHP Zach Thompson (right forearm nerve inflammation) was placed on the 15-day IL and said he believes the injury isn’t serious.

Newly promoted Oneil Cruz drove in four runs and Bligh Madris got three hits in his major league debut, sparking the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 12-1 romp over the Chicago Cubs.

“He’s got some purple and blue in there but overall he’s moving around pretty good and feels good,” Flaherty said Monday. Machado, who’s having an MVP-caliber season, was injured Sunday in Colorado while trying to beat out a grounder. The 28-year-old right-hander is 8-0 with a 1.42 ERA in 12 starts covering 63 1/3 innings. It will be the Dodgers’ 66th game, meaning he needs 2 2/3 innings to qualify for the ERA lead. Cincinnati’s Tyler Mahler is 0-1 despite a 3.08 ERA in six starts since winning at Pittsburgh on May 13.

Manny Machado was out of the lineup a day after spraining his left ankle, but Padres acting manager Ryan Flaherty is optimistic the All-Star third baseman won’t need to go on the injured list.

Machado, who is hitting .328 with 12 home runs and 46 RBIs, was hurt Sunday in the first inning of an 8-3 loss at Colorado. He gave up Cal Mitchell’s double that was just over the head of center fielder Harrison Bader with two outs in the ninth inning at Busch Stadium. CRUZ CONTROLThe Pirates plan to promote 6-foot-7 shortstop Oneil Cruz from Triple-A Indianapolis before their game against the Cubs. Suwinski is the first rookie to cap a three-homer game with a game-ending shot, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. He also stole a base in the ninth inning.

The San Diego Padres will see how star third baseman Manny Machado is feeling, a day after he sprained his left ankle while taking a tumble running out a grounder.

Machado, who is hitting .328 with 12 home runs and 46 RBIs, was hurt Sunday in the first inning of an 8-3 loss at Colorado. He gave up Cal Mitchell’s double that was just over the head of center fielder Harrison Bader with two outs in the ninth inning at Busch Stadium. CRUZ CONTROLThe Pirates plan to promote 6-foot-7 shortstop Oneil Cruz from Triple-A Indianapolis before their game against the Cubs. Suwinski is the first rookie to cap a three-homer game with a game-ending shot, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. He also stole a base in the ninth inning.

Jack Suwinski hit his third homer of the game in the ninth inning, giving the Pittsburgh Pirates a 4-3, walk-off victory over the San Francisco Giants to avoid a three-game sweep.

Pittsburgh Pirates prospect Oneil Cruz will start the season in the minors. The team optioned the towering 6-foot-7 shortstop to Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday. While the 23-year-old Cruz had put together a solid spring training — going 5 for 15 with two home runs in Grapefruit League play — manager Derek Shelton said the team believes Cruz needs a little more experience before being called up for good.

The hangover from being officially eliminated from the playoffs last week threatened to blunt the significant strides the Cincinnati Reds made in 2021. One big gut check by rookie pitcher Reiver Sanmartin and one last big swing from Joey Votto instead sent the Reds into the offseason with something akin to momentum. Sanmartin wriggled out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam with minimal damage in the first inning, Votto capped off a resurgent campaign by blasting his 36th home run and the Reds topped Pittsburgh 6-3 on Sunday.