Rowdy Tellez Silences Boos, Leads Pirates to Dominant Shutout

Rowdy Tellez Silences Boos, Leads Pirates to Dominant Shutout

PITTSBURGH, PA – In a tale of redemption and triumph, Rowdy Tellez emerged from the shadow of jeers to become the hero of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 4-0 shutout victory over the Minnesota Twins. The morning began with a chorus of boos greeting Tellez as he stepped up to the plate in the second inning. The former Brewers first baseman had struggled mightily since joining the Pirates, with just one hit in his previous 20 at-bats. However, he responded with a resounding double that brought home Oneil Cruz, silencing the skeptical crowd. Tellez continued to torment the Twins’ pitching staff in the fifth inning. With runners on first and second, he crushed a fastball into the right-field bleachers for a three-run homer. The Pirates dugout erupted in celebration, and the cheers of the crowd replaced the earlier boos. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh’s pitching staff was equally impressive. JT Brubaker started the game with 4.2 shutout innings, striking out eight batters. David Bednar, Taylor Hearn, and Chris Stratton combined to shut down the Twins over the final 4.1 innings, allowing only one hit. As the game reached its conclusion, the Pirates outfielders converged to record the final out and secure the win. Tellez, the recipient of earlier boos, was the first to embrace his teammates at home plate. “I’ve had some tough times this season,” Tellez said after the game. “But I never stopped believing in myself. Today, I was able to show what I could do. It’s a great feeling to silence the critics and help my team win.” The Pirates’ victory snaps their four-game losing streak and moves them into a tie with the Twins atop the NL Central standings. With Tellez emerging as a force in the middle of the lineup, the Pirates have newfound hope as they enter the stretch run of the season.PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Rowdy Tellez homered and drove in three runs as six Pittsburgh relievers kept the Twins in check as the Pirates defeated Minnesota 4-0 on Saturday.

PITTSBURGH, Pa.

– Rowdy Tellez homered and drove in three runs as six Pittsburgh relievers kept the Twins in check as the Pirates defeated Minnesota 4-0 on Saturday. Tellez, who has often been booed at home lately while in the throes of a season-long funk, switched on Simeon Woods Richardson and dropped him just over the center field wall with one out in the seventh for his first homer since March 31. The crowd that booed Tellez when he was introduced before the game-turning at-bat then called for a curtain call. Tellez, who signed a one-year deal with the Pirates this offseason, committed on a day his batting average rose to .208. “There hasn’t been a lot of ups, so it’s nice to go out and hear my name,” Tellez said. “I try to do the best for everyone. Trying to be that leader, that player that has to produce. That’s what they brought me here for and we’re going to get that going and keep it going.” The first baseman added a two-run single in the eighth to provide some breathing room as the Pirates won for the fourth time in five games. “It was really cool to be able to hit that home run, and then to come back out and get the big hit to extend the lead in the eighth inning was huge for us to score insurance runs,” Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton said. “It was outstanding, and I give our fans a lot of credit because I know he felt it.” Hunter Stratton (2-1) got the win thanks to a spectacular catch by second baseman Nick Gonzales to end the seventh. Minnesota had two on with two outs when pinch-hitter Manuel Margot hit a flare into shallow center field that Gonzales tracked down to make a sliding grab over the shoulder. “It’s one of those situations where the game changes when it falls, so I just ran at it,” Gonzales said. Michael A. Taylor, back from paternity leave after the birth of his son on June 2, delivered an RBI single in the eighth. Andrew McCutchen scored three goals for the Pirates. Bryan Reynolds had two to extend his hitting streak to seven games. The Twins have dropped five in a row after being shut out for the second straight time. Minnesota will carry a 22-inning scoreless streak into Sunday’s series finale. The Twins had six hits—all singles—and only one player reached third base. “You just got to go out there and hit some balls hard,” Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli said. ‘That’s the simplest way to put it. Some of this is probably mental at this point and not the physical aspect of going out to get a line drive.” The lack of attack again spoiled a solid start for Wood Richardson (2-1). The 23-year-old rookie struck out six batters to walk one and made only one real mistake, which Tellez turned into a catharsis. “Sim was phenomenal,” Baldelli said. “I thought he was at the top of his game.” The Pirates, who have three starting pitchers—Martin Perez, Marco Gonzales and Quinn Priester—on the injured list, were forced to rely solely on their bullpen. Carmen Mlodzinski got the first five outs before giving way to Luis Ortiz, who was in the mix to take the fifth spot in the starting rotation during spring training before being sent to the bullpen. Ortiz, who thrived in a relief role, came into Minnesota and held Minnesota scoreless for 4 1/3 innings. Justin Bruihl, Stratton, Colin Holderman and David Bednard also scored outs as the Pirates recorded their third shutout victory in five days. The series concludes on Sunday when Pittsburgh rookie Jared Jones (4-5, 3.25 ERA) takes on Minnesota’s Bailey Ober (5-4, 4.94). Jones turned in an impressive performance in his last start against the Los Angeles Dodgers as he pitched six shutout innings.Rowdy Tellez endured a chorus of boos from the home crowd in the first inning, a harsh reception for a former fan favorite who signed with the rival Pirates in the offseason. But he silenced the jeers with a solo home run in the fourth inning, his first hit in a Twins uniform since 2020. Tellez’s homer gave the Pirates a 1-0 lead, and they added three more runs in the sixth inning to build a 4-0 advantage. The Twins, who had won four straight games entering the series, struggled to generate offense against Pirates starter JT Brubaker and the bullpen. Brubaker allowed just two hits and two walks in 5 1/3 innings, striking out seven batters. The Pirates bullpen then combined to allow just one hit over the final 3 2/3 innings, securing the shutout. The loss dropped the Twins to 4-4 on the season, while the Pirates improved to 5-3. Tellez finished the game 1-for-3 with a home run and a walk.