PITTSBURGH — Johan Oviedo was absolutely dominant for large chunks of Sunday’s series-deciding game against the Chicago White Sox, yet his performance isn’t the biggest talking point from this one. The same for the Pirates taking a second consecutive series during a better-than-anticipated start to the season.
No, the big issue at PNC Park involved the biggest player on the field, Oneil Cruz, who was injured sliding into home plate in the bottom of the sixth inning of a 1-0 Pirates win. The play itself was ugly, with Cruz’s left leg basically buckling underneath him.
It’s debatable whether he had a clear lane to slide. White Sox catcher Seby Zavala was blocking a good chunk of Cruz’s path and also had to reach up to handle a high throw. If that didn’t incense the Pirates enough, this did: As Cruz lay motionless on the ground, Zavala seemed to yell something in his direction.
Carlos Santana, a veteran leader and mentor to Cruz, charged after the White Sox catcher. He shoved Zavala with his left hand before Oviedo and manager Derek Shelton separated them. The benches emptied. The bullpens emptied.
No punches were thrown, but there was a bunch of yelling and shoving over the whole ordeal. Meanwhile, assistant major league athletic trainer Tony Leo worked on Cruz. The 6-foot-7 shortstop reacted when Leo touched the outside of his left leg, just below the knee.
Eventually, Cruz was helped off the field by physical therapist Seth Steinhauer and Leo for a second before bench coach Don Kelly traded spots with Leo. He barely put any weight on his left leg.
No immediate word was available on Cruz’s condition, and his importance to the Pirates — both in the short and long term — can’t be understated. His power and potential have led many to predict a breakout season for the 24-year-old native of Nizam, Dominican Republic, who made his MLB debut in 2021.
Cruz hit .233 and had 17 home runs in 87 MLB games a season ago but had been flashing a more mature approach at the plate. His defense has also been better. Without Cruz, there’s a huge hole in the Pirates lineup, both literally and figuratively.
As for Sunday, Oviedo was nothing short of terrific while pitching 6⅔ scoreless innings for what might've been the best outing of his young career. He didn’t walk a batter, struck out five and threw 62 of his 89 pitches for strikes.
The Pirates scored their only run when Canaan Smith-Njigba tripled in the second inning and scored on a sacrifice fly from Jack Suwinski.
Shelton lifted Oviedo for Dauri Moreta with two outs, a runner in scoring position and Yasmani Grandal pinch-hitting in the seventh inning. Moreta struck out Grandal to end the threat. Colin Holderman and David Bednar finished out the game, as the Pirates improved to 6-3.
ON THE MOUND
While Oviedo’s first few innings were marked by sheer dominance, the right-hander retiring 11 of the first 12 men he faced, he also flashed an ability to escape trouble. The best example of this came in the fifth inning, when White Sox center fielder Oscar Colas and right fielder Romy Gonzalez stroked one-out singles and Gonzalez stole second to give Chicago two runners in scoring position.
No big deal. Oviedo pumped a 96.9 mph fastball past Zavala and got second baseman Elvis Andrus to fly out to center. The next inning, Oviedo permitted a two-out single to first baseman Andrew Vaughn but quickly regrouped and got third baseman Yoan Moncada to bounce out to second for the third out.
If that wasn't impressive enough, Oviedo also enjoyed some fielding magic, reaching between his legs to snare a grounder from shortstop Tim Anderson to record the first out of the sixth inning.
AT THE PLATE
It was good to see Smith-Njigba get involved after he got off to a slow start this season.
Smith-Njigba was the Pirates’ best hitter during spring training, batting .333 with a .990 OPS and a team-high 14 RBIs. However, he opened the major league season by going 2 for 12 (.167) through four games, with a double, a walk and eight strikeouts.
In the second inning, Smith-Njigba put a terrific swing on an 0-1 slider that was in the lower third of the strike zone and tripled. He scored two batters later on Jack Suwinski’s sacrifice fly to center field.
UP NEXT
Roansy Contreras will make his second start of the season Monday, as the defending World Series champion Houston Astros visit PNC Park.
