
Pham and Horwitz lead Pirates past Rangers to prevent sweep
Pham tied it 2-all with a sacrifice fly in the fourth and capped the fifth-inning rally with an RBI double for a 7-2 advantage. He drove in Pittsburgh's final run with a double in the seventh.
Horwitz went 3 for 4 with two doubles. He scored three runs and drove in two. Reynolds had a double and scored as the Pirates finished with 15 hits.
Texas starter Jack Leiter was lifted in favor of Caleb Boushley after walking Oneil Cruz to begin the fifth with the score tied at 2.
Cruz advanced to third on a groundout and Reynolds' single. Nick Gonzales singled to give Pittsburgh the lead, and Horwitz hit a shot to right field that Adolis García misplayed into a two-run double that made it 5-2. Ke'Bryan Hayes added an RBI single before scoring on Pham's double.
Bailey Falter walked two to begin the second and both scored on back-to-back RBI singles by Josh Smith and Josh Jung to put the Rangers up 2-0.
Hayes doubled in the Pirates' first run after one-out singles by Joey Bart and Horwitz in the fourth.
Falter (6-3) pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on six hits and five walks. Three relievers finished for Pittsburgh.
Leiter (4-5) permitted three runs and five hits in four-plus innings. Boushley gave up five runs in four innings.
Key moment
Hayes saved two runs when he dove to his left at third base with runners on second and third to take away a hit from García for the final out in the third with the Pirates trailing 2-0.
Key stat
Cruz, in a 4-for-37 slump, used his speed to spark the Pirates. He was off and running for his 27th stolen base on a grounder by Andrew McCutchen. Cruz didn't get the steal but he prevented a double play and later scored the go-ahead run.
Up next
The Pirates hadn't announced a starter for Monday's series opener in Milwaukee against Brewers rookie RHP Chad Patrick (3-7, 3.50 ERA).
Texas will start LHP Patrick Corbin (4-6, 3.91 ERA) on Monday in Baltimore opposite LHP Trevor Rogers (0-0, 3.12).
___
AP MLB:
https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Cowboys may have stumbled into a superstar as a second-round pick angles toward starting
The Dallas Cowboys needed help at defensive end for the 2025 season. Facing the loss of long-time starter and multiple-time Pro Bowler DeMarcus Lawrence, the team needed reinforcements. The club had drafted the position, highly, but had yet to reap any dominating rewards. So when the opportunity presented itself to secure themselves the potential steal of the 2025 draft, they jumped on it Dallas secured the services of perhaps the best pass-rushing defensive end of the draft when they drafted Boston College's Donovan Ezeiruaku. But pre-draft accolades don't matter if it doesn't manifest itself on a pro field, and while training camp isn't the real thing, what Ezeiruaku has shown in Oxnard has a lot of people extremely excited. Rundown Position: Defensive End Age: 21 Height: 6-foot-2 Weight: 248 pounds Hometown: Williamstown, NJ High School: Williamstown College: Boston College (Highlights) Draft: 2025 Second Round (No. 44 overall) Acquired: 2025 draft Contract: Four-year contract (2025), $10.2 million 2025 Base Salary: $840,000, $1.85 million cap hit Profile With Micah Parsons not participating in practice due to his contract dispute, Ezeiruaku has been declaring himself as a true force to reckon with. Lining up primarily as a left defensive end, Ezeiruaku has shown a complex rush attack that is far beyond his years. He's also displayed the ability to set the edge, looking like he's ready to take on a starting role sooner rather than later. Dallas brought back Dante Fowler, who left for a season in Washington, and the expectation was that he'd be starting opposite Parsons, but that may not be the case and if it is may not be for long. The Cowboys also signed Payton Turner, a former first-round pick like Fowler, as veteran depth. They join last year's second rounder Marshawn Kneeland as Parsons' supporting cast. That's before mentioning 2022 second-round pick Sam Williams, who is looking to return from an ACL injury. Together, the Cowboys have assembled a tremendously pedigreed group at defensive end, but Ezeiruaku looks like a potential breakout star amongst the room. Follow Cowboys Wire on Facebook to join in on the conversation with fellow fans! This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Dallas Cowboys player profile: No. 31 DE Donovan Ezeiruaku


Washington Post
3 hours ago
- Washington Post
Julio Rodriguez homers for fourth straight 20-20 season as Mariners beat Rangers
SEATTLE — Julio Rodriguez homered to become the first player in major league history with 20 or more home runs and 20 or more stolen bases in each of his first four seasons, and the Seattle Mariners beat the Texas Rangers 5-4 on Sunday. Rodriguez hit a two-run shot in the third inning — his 100th career homer — and the slugging and speedy center fielder also added his 21st stolen base of the season after singling in the fifth inning.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
"I could have gone anywhere, but I trust my Spurs doctors" - Tony Parker called out Kawhi Leonard for making a big deal about his injury
"I could have gone anywhere, but I trust my Spurs doctors" - Tony Parker called out Kawhi Leonard for making a big deal about his injury originally appeared on Basketball Network. By the spring of 2018, the San Antonio Spurs were still in the playoff mix, but basketball wasn't the only thing weighing on the franchise. Behind the scenes, one of the NBA's most stable organizations was trying to keep from splintering. Gregg Popovich remained on the sideline. LaMarcus Aldridge was leading the team in scoring. Tony Parker had returned from a devastating injury to contribute off the bench. But the biggest question was about Kawhi Leonard, and why he still wasn't playing. The Klaw had suited up for only nine games all season. His right quadriceps injury, initially suffered during the 2017 Western Conference finals after a controversial closeout from Zaza Pachulia, had lingered well beyond what the team expected. Same injury, different response Parker knew what it was like to suffer a serious quad injury. In May 2017, just days before Leonard went down in the playoffs, Parker tore his left quadriceps tendon during Game 2 of the Spurs' second-round series against the Houston Rockets. But Parker never looked outside the organization for answers. He leaned on the Spurs' medical team because he trusted that staff since he arrived in San Antonio as a teenager. "I could have gone anywhere, but I trust my Spurs doctors," Parker said in March 2018. "They have been with me my whole career. They know my body better than anybody …I feel like we have the best medical team in the world." Parker returned to the floor on Nov. 27, 2017, about 7 1/2 months after his surgery. Though he was no longer a starter, he played in 55 games and provided steady minutes off the bench. He'd gone through the grind, leaned on his rehab staff and bought into the process. Tony didn't hold back when asked about Leonard's situation that spring. "I've been through it," he said. "It was a rehab for me for eight months. Same kind of injury [as Leonard], but mine was a hundred times worse. But the same kind of injury. You just stay positive." Parker clearly believed Leonard could have handled things differently. And he wasn't the only one in the locker room who felt that way.A fracture that never healed By March, the tension had reached a boiling point. The Spurs were still competing, but the uncertainty around Leonard loomed large. According to then-ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski, a players-only meeting was held on Mar. 17, where several veterans, including Parker and Manu Ginobili, urged Leonard to rejoin the team. Kawhi reportedly pushed back, saying he wasn't medically ready. The 6'7" forward had spent weeks rehabbing away from the team, working with his own medical consultants in New York. The Spurs doctors had cleared him to play, but Leonard remained sidelined. The divide between his camp and the organization kept widening, and the team's leadership core didn't hide their frustration. Popovich gave few details publicly but often deferred to "Kawhi and his group" when reporters asked for updates. His tone suggested that this wasn't just a matter of physical readiness. The Spurs, long known for doing things behind closed doors, were suddenly at the center of the NBA's biggest locker room drama. Leonard never returned that season. He was officially ruled out for the year on Apr. 2. A few months later, San Antonio traded him to the Toronto Raptors in a deal that brought back DeMar DeRozan. It ended one of the most awkward and acrimonious departures in franchise history. While Parker, a Finals MVP, was nearing the end of his Spurs tenure, he still embodied the values of loyalty and sacrifice on which the franchise had built itself. On the other hand, Leonard took control of his situation, prioritized his long-term health and walked away from a structure that didn't fit how he operated. It's still debated whether Leonard made the right call. He went on to win a championship in Toronto and continued his career at an elite level. The Spurs had always prided themselves on being aligned, from the top down. In 2018, for the first time maybe ever, the Spurs cracked story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 27, 2025, where it first appeared.