Rowdy Tellez homers, knocks in 3 runs, Pirates’ bullpen sharp in shutout of Twins
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Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Rowdy Tellez’s body of work this season has been largely bereft of celebratory moments.
Stepping in to defend then-struggling closer David Bednar in early April and issuing a slight reprimand to Pirates fans for booing Bednar, in addition to Tellez’s own production shortcomings, have painted a target on his back.
The result has been a consistent chorus of boos every time he steps into the batter’s box or is announced in the nightly lineup over the PNC Park loudspeakers before home games.
But Saturday night at home, in front of 29,700 fans, Tellez managed to transform those boos into woo-hoos, as he produced most of the Pirates’ offense, including his first homer since March 31, helping lift his club to a 4-0 shutout of the Minnesota Twins.
The victory is the Pirates’ fourth shutout of the year, second straight of the Twins and third since Tuesday.
After his seventh-inning solo shot off Twins starter Simeon Woods Richardson, Tellez entered his next at-bat in the eighth inning to chants of “Row-dy! Row-dy!” from the PNC Park crowd.
He did not disappoint in the moment, ripping a two-out, two-run RBI single that gave the Pirates key insurance runs and put them up 3-0.
After he came home to score on a Michael A. Taylor single, Tellez even was treated to a brief curtain call from the PNC Park crowd.
“It’s nice. It’s nice to smile. It’s nice to feel the way my teammates feel. It’s nice to be happy going out (to bat),” Tellez said postgame. “There’s a lot of things, like I said, a lot of emotions. So it’s been nice to hear that. It’s been really comforting. (There haven’t) been a lot of ups, so it’s nice to go out there and hear my name.
“I’m trying to do the best I can for everybody. Trying to be that leader, that player that needs to produce. That’s what they brought me here to do, and we’re going to get that going and keep it going.”
Tellez finished 2 for 4 with three RBIs and a pair of runs scored, boosting his batting average to .208.
Manager Derek Shelton credited Tellez’s professionalism through several months of sparse offensive production.
All told, Tellez’s big day and the fan atmosphere created a memorable day at the office for Shelton and his players.
“If you watch him, he’s out every day, he’s signing autographs, he’s a good teammate, he’s good in the clubhouse,” Shelton said. “What you saw was a bunch of guys that really felt for a guy who had been through some tough times. Our fans got after it, and it was cool. Big crowd, was bigger than last night and they were into it. That resonates with players. That was really cool.”
Tellez provided the offense, but equally as impactful in the Pirates’ win was the collective effort by the bullpen.
Of the six relievers to take the hill in a full bullpen day of pitching, Luis Ortiz did the heavy lifting, dueling Woods Richardson over 4 1/3 shutout innings, striking out three with a walk and three hits.
“Really good. I was pleased with not giving up any runs, pleased with our entire effort, but with (Ortiz), he continued to execute,” Shelton said. “He continued to throw strikes. The cutter was good, even when he got behind. … Outstanding outing.”
Carmen Mlodzinski started for the Pirates, lasting 1 2/3 innings and striking out one with a hit batter.
Justin Bruihl recorded two outs in the sixth, with Hunter Stratton getting the last out of the inning.
Stratton (2-1, 4.55 ERA) was Saturday’s winning pitcher.
From there, Colin Holderman pitched a quiet eighth, and David Bednar, in a non-save situation, struck out a pair and closed the door in the ninth.
Richardson (2-1, 2.84 ERA) lasted 6 1/3 innings, taking the loss while striking out six with no walks on six hits.
Jhoan Duran was charged for the Pirates’ three eighth-inning runs, having walked Oneil Cruz and allowing a single to Ke’Bryan Hayes before Tellez’s RBI hit.
After Duran was removed, Twins reliever Diego Castillo gave up Taylor’s RBI base hit.
Andrew McCutchen was 3 for 5 with three singles. Bryan Reynolds went 2 for 4.