Oneil Cruz hits 2-run homer, leads Pirates to 5-3 win and series victory over Rockies

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Oneil Cruz hit a two-run homer to highlight a four-run sixth inning, powering the Pittsburgh Pirates past the Colorado Rockies 5-3 on Sunday for a series win.

Cruz sent a slider from Ryan Feltner (1-3) 429 feet to right-center, bouncing his fifth of the season off the roof of a bar beyond the stands to put Pittsburgh ahead 4-3. He also had a double for his first game with multiple extra-base hits in 35 games this season.

Before hitting a ball into the Allegheny River in the ninth inning of a 3-2 series-opening loss Friday, Cruz had two doubles in 17 games between homers.

“I think the one thing we have to realize with Oneil is he does a lot of things that look easy,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “So, at times, he gets the moniker of, like, ‘The body language is bad.’ He cares. I mean, he's locked in. But I do think getting a couple of hits, having a couple of good games, your confidence will definitely tick back up.”

After the homer, Rowdy Tellez hit a double to right before scoring on a single from Jack Suwinski. Feltner, who gave up five runs on eight hits in 5 2/3 innings, began the inning by allowing a single to Connor Joe and a double to Bryan Reynolds in the first four pitches. Joe scored on a grounder from Ke’Bryan Hayes.

The Pirates took the final two of the three-game set, their first series victory since winning two of three against Baltimore from April 5-7. The Rockies, who have lost seven of eight, have yet to win a series.

“Unable to get the big hit throughout the course of the game a couple of times,” Colorado manager Bud Black said. “That's been a killer for our offense. Somewhere along the line, we've got to get a couple of guys hot.”

Luis Ortiz (2-1) was perfect in 1 2/3 innings after replacing Pittsburgh starter Bailey Falter with one out in the sixth. David Bednar picked up his sixth save, allowing a two-out double from Sean Bouchard before striking out Jake Cave in the ninth.

Jacob Stallings and Bouchard put Colorado ahead 3-0 on back-to-back home runs off Falter in the second inning. Stallings drove in two runs by taking a sinker 414 feet into the bushes in center; Bouchard sent a fastball 400 feet into the left-field bleachers.

Falter gave up three runs on six hits.

“Would like to have a couple pitches back,” Falter said. “These guys are good hitters. They're all here for a reason, just like us. ... After the third, settled down pretty well and felt like we did a pretty good job.”

Cruz doubled off the top of the Clemente Wall in right with one out in the fourth and Hayes scored the Pirates’ first run when Tellez grounded back to Feltner, who had allowed one hit through three innings.

“Everything was working today,” Feltner said. “Felt good with my stuff, overall. Just need to finish stronger.”

UP NEXT

Rockies: RHP Dakota Hudson (0-5, 5.93) will start Tuesday, returning home for a three-game series against San Francisco.

Pirates: RHP Mitch Keller (2-3, 5.18) will take the mound Monday to start a three-game series against the Angels.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Ryan Feltner delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Pittsburgh, Sunday, May 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Bailey Falter pauses on the mound after giving up back-to-back home runs during the second inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies in Pittsburgh, Sunday, May 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Colorado Rockies' Sean Bouchard (12) rounds third to greetings from third base coach/infield coach Warren Schaeffer (34) after hitting a solo home run off Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Bailey Falter during the second inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, May 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Colorado Rockies' Jacob Stallings, right, is greeted by third base coach/infield coach Warren Schaeffer, left, as he rounds third after hitting a two-run home run off Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Bailey Falter during the second inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, May 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Pittsburgh Pirates' Oneil Cruz, left, is greeted by Bryan Reynolds (10) after they scored on Cruz's two-run home run off Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Ryan Feltner during the sixth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, May 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Pittsburgh Pirates' Oneil Cruz hits a two-run home run off Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Ryan Feltner during the sixth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, May 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Pittsburgh Pirates' Oneil Cruz (15) is greeted by third base coach Mike Rabel, left, as he rounds third after hitting a two-run home run off Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Ryan Feltner during the sixth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, May 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler’s arrest and prompt release from a Louisville jail Friday that let him play in a high-profile tournament after being booked on charges including felony assault has sparked questions over whether he was given preferential treatment because of his fame.

Some social media users raised the issue of malfeasance by the Louisville police department, which a national report last year found has used excessive force and invalid search warrants.

Police are continuing their investigation, but here's a look at the incident and policing in Louisville:

Officers were redirecting traffic after a fatal accident near the Valhalla Golf Club when Scheffler allegedly disobeyed an officer's command. His car accelerated forward and dragged the officer to the ground, according to a police report, and the officer suffered injuries to his wrist and was taken to the hospital.

The 27-year-old Scheffler, who lives in Texas, was arrested outside the club just after 6 a.m., taken to jail, dressed in an orange jumpsuit and had his mug shot taken. The Louisville Metro Police Department said he was booked on four charges, including second-degree assault of a police officer.

But by 10:08 a.m., he was on the other side of the city and teeing off at the PGA Championship. Scheffler had been released on his own recognizance, without posting bond, after agreeing that he would make all his court dates in Louisville.

Scheffler and his attorney have said he didn't intentionally do anything wrong, and he misunderstood police commands and simply was trying to get to the course. His lawyer previously represented the boyfriend of Breonna Taylor, who was fatally shot by police in 2020, in a civil suit against the city a few years ago.

Scheffler was greeted with cheers by fans when he arrived at the golf course, but some in Louisville with memories of a turbulent past took a dim view of the incident.

“A man drags a cop with his vehicle and hospitalizes him. He’s arrested ... charged with a felony ... and then immediately released so he can make his tee time? Did I get that right?” said Ricky L. Jones, a University of Louisville professor of pan-African studies, on the social platform X.

Bill Miller, a local golf fan who was at the course Friday, said it cast Louisville and the police in a negative light.

“It’s just another bad look for the city,” Miller said. “I’d want to understand what the cop was trying to do. But it’s sad.”

A spokesperson for Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said Saturday there is no police body camera video of the initial encounter between Scheffler and the officer. The officer was directing traffic at the time, and the department’s officers typically don’t record video with their body cameras while directing traffic, Kevin Trager, the mayor’s press secretary, wrote in a text message to an Associated Press reporter.

Elsewhere, the incident drew reaction from an Atlanta-area pastor who hosted a funeral for Roger Fortson, a young Black senior airman who was shot by a Florida sheriff’s deputy at his home this month.

“Something is wrong in America,” said Jamal Bryant of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. “You have respect for a golfer, but you don’t have respect for (Fortson) and for a person who has given their life to this nation. You cannot remain silent in the face of injustice.”

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear took heat on X for a post encouraging people to welcome golf tournament fans “with the kindness and hospitality we’re known for.” One commenter replied with Scheffler's mug shot and observed that Beshear's post had not aged well.

The department has attracted negative national attention in recent years after the fatal shooting of Taylor in 2020 and a federal investigation into its policing practices. It has also been the subject of protests over its policing.

A Department of Justice report released last year said Louisville officers use excessive force and conduct searches based on invalid warrants. It also said Black motorists in the city were more likely to be searched during traffic stops, and officers used neck restraints, police dogs and stun guns against people who posed no imminent threat.

Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman, was shot by officers who came to her apartment with a warrant that federal officials later said was falsified.

The police department was lauded, however, for its response to a mass shooting at a bank in 2023, when the shooter armed with an AR-15 was quickly killed before he could hurt more people. One officer who had just joined the force was struck in the head by a bullet, sustaining a brain injury.

Last year the department hired as its new police chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel, the first Black woman to hold the position. The city continues to negotiate a consent decree with federal officials that will stipulate what policing reforms should take place.

Associated Press Writers Aaron Morrison in New York and Eddie Pells in Louisville contributed to this report.

In this still image made from video provided by ESPN, Masters champion Scottie Scheffler is put into a police car after being handcuffed near Valhalla Golf Club, site of the PGA Championship golf tournament, early Friday, May 17, 2024. (ESPN via AP)

In this mug shot provided by the Louisville Metropolitan Department of Corrections Friday, May 17, 2024, Scott Scheffler is shown. Masters champion Scottie Scheffler was detained by police Friday morning on his way to the PGA Championship, with stunning images showing him handcuffed as he was led to a police car. (Louisville Metropolitan Department of Corrections via AP)

Scottie Scheffler walks to the tee on the 11th hole during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Valhalla Golf Club, Friday, May 17, 2024, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Scottie Scheffler celebrates after a birdie on the 12th hole during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Valhalla Golf Club, Friday, May 17, 2024, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)