Bubba Chandler allowed one run over six innings and the host Pittsburgh Pirates totaled 11 hits to secure a 5-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night.
Chandler (1-1) struck out three, allowed three hits and walked one while throwing 90 pitches in his first career start against the Rays, who had a six-game winning streak snapped.
Marcell Ozuna, Spencer Horwitz and Brandon Lowe each had three hits to lead the Pirates. Lowe had two doubles and two RBIs against his former team. Ozuna continued to break out of a slump with his eighth hit in his past 20 at-bats after starting the season with a 2-for-39 stretch.
After Chandler limited Tampa Bay to one hit over his first 5 2/3 innings, Junior Caminero drove in the Rays’ lone run in the top of the sixth with a game-tying, two-out single.
Oneil Cruz broke the tie with two outs in the bottom of that inning when he smacked a two-run home run off Rays reliever Griffin Jax over the right field fence.
Horwitz’s second-inning double scored Ozuna to give Pittsburgh a 1-0 lead.
Chandler retired 10 in a row until Chandler Simpson’s two-out single on a high chopper that went off Chandler’s glove and allowed him to beat the throw to first. Simpson reached second on a wild pitch and then scored on Caminero’s single.
Rays starter Nick Martinez (0-1) threw 5 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on eight hits and three walks with three strikeouts. He was lifted in the sixth after allowing a leadoff single to Horwitz and inducing a fielder’s choice from Konnor Griffin. After stealing second, Griffin advanced to third on a wild pitch by Jax. Cruz then delivered his sixth homer of the season.
The Rays had two runners on base in the ninth after a double by Yandy Diaz and after Ben Williamson drew a walk from Pirates closer Dennis Santana. But Santana induced a game-ending popup in foul ground by Cedric Mullins.
