Cruz breaks slump with 3 hits, Jones cruises as Pirates beat Brewers 4-2 to end 6-game skid

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Oneil Cruz broke out of a slump with three hits, rookie Jared Jones allowed one run in six innings and the Pittsburgh Pirates ended their skid at six games, beating Milwaukee 4-2 on Monday night to stop the Brewers' four-game win streak.

Cruz capped a three-run sixth with a two-out, two-run single. He also singled in the second and dropped a double into right-center in the fourth. The 6-foot-7 shortstop was 4 for 44 in his previous 12 games.

“You look at the base hit that Cruzy got, that ended up being the game-winning base hit, the left-on-left ... we put the ball in play," Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton said. “We moved the ball forward. It's something that we have not been doing. ... Overall, I was really happy with our offensive approach.”

Jones (2-2) gave up four hits and two walks. The 22-year-old struck out seven and has 39 strikeouts to become the fourth major league pitcher since 1893 to strike out at least seven in his first five starts, joining Masahiro Tanaka (2014), Stephen Strasburg (2010) and José DeLeón (1983).

Jones fanned Brice Turang to start the third, making him fall in the box swinging at a slider down and inside.

“Never made someone fall, but it was pretty cool to see. Pretty good pitch,” Jones said. “I was laughing on the inside.”

The Pirates, following an 11-5 start, were outscored 36-9 in back-to-back three-game sweeps by the Mets and Red Sox. The Brewers were coming off a three-game sweep at St. Louis.

David Bednar picked up his third save, allowing only an infield hit by Jackson Chourio in the ninth.

Joe Ross (1-2) gave up two runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings for Milwaukee.

“I feel like I just feel good in my delivery,” Ross said. “I feel like when I feel confident in my delivery, it just kind of comes out. I feel like that's really it. I'm not really trying to do too much.”

Andrew McCutchen led off the first for Pittsburgh with a 414-foot homer to center, his first of three hits. He hit his 1,000th single in 1,473 games with the Pirates in the third.

“It's something I'm familiar with," McCutchen said of batting leadoff. “You get called in by the manager and he's asking something of you, you want to be able to hold up your end of the bargain and try to step up.”

Rhys Hoskins homered off Jones leading off the fifth, then walked to load the bases with two outs in the sixth. Jones retired Blake Perkins on a comebacker to end that threat.

Pirates setup man Aroldis Chapman walked three straight, loading the bases with one out in the eighth. Hunter Stratton entered to limit the damage to one run, getting Hoskins and Perkins to ground out.

“That's the game,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “Credit the pitchers too. That kid, Jones, man. That kid was electric. We didn't get the big hit at the big time.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Brewers: RHP Jakob Junis was taken to a hospital during batting practice after being struck in the neck by a line drive off the bat of Pirates INF Alika Williams. Junis, who was placed on the 15-day injured list April 6 because of a shoulder impingement, was said to be “conscious, alert and responsive” in a joint statement from the teams. ... LHP Wade Miley went on the 15-day IL with left elbow inflammation.

UP NEXT

LHP Bailey Falter (1-1, 4.05 ERA) will take the mound for the Pirates in the second game of the four-game series Tuesday. The Brewers had not announced a starter.

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

Pittsburgh Pirates' Jack Suwinski, center, celebrates with Connor Joe after both scored on a single by Oneil Cruz off Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Hoby Milner during the sixth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Monday, April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Hoby Milner (55) walks to the dugout after handing the ball to manager Pat Murphy during the sixth inning of the team's baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Pittsburgh, Monday, April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Milwaukee Brewers' Rhys Hoskins (12) celebrates with Blake Perkins (16) as he heads to the dugout after hitting a solo home run off Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jared Jones during the fifth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Monday, April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Pittsburgh Pirates' Andrew McCutchen celebrates as he rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run off Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Joe Ross during the first inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Monday, April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jared Jones delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers in Pittsburgh, Monday, April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Pittsburgh Pirates' Oneil Cruz singles off Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Hoby Milner, driving in two runs, during the sixth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Monday, April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Lauren Coughlin held onto the lead Friday in the CPKC Women’s Open, while Canadian star Brooke Henderson was derailed by closing bogeys at windy and smokey Earl Grey Golf Club.

Coughlin followed her opening 4-under 68 on Thursday in chilly and windy conditions with a 70 on Friday to get to 6 under, a stroke ahead of Hannah Green and Haeran Ryu. The temperature made it into the 70s after barely climbing into the 60s on Thursday.

“I think I handled it really well overall,” Coughlin said. “It was just really difficult to judge how far the ball was going to go with the wind and the crosswind and how firm the greens got. And they had some tough pins, especially considering the direction of the wind.”

Playing through a smokey haze from wildfires, Henderson bogeyed the final four holes in her afternoon round for a 73 that left her seven strokes back at 1 over. She won the 2018 tournament.

Coughlin is coming off a fourth-place finish two weeks ago in France in the major Evian Champions. The 31-year-old former University of Virginia player is winless on the LPGA Tour.

On Friday, she had three front-none birdies and dropped a stroke on the par-4 11th. In two rounds, she's 7 under on the first nine holes and 1 over on the second nine.

“I putted extremely well,” Coughlin said. “Two-putted really well all day. Took advantage of the front nine, which you have to, and then kind of hold on on the back nine.”

Green matched Coughlin with a 70. The Australian is a two-time winner this year, taking the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore in February and the JM Eagle LA Championship in April.

“It was tough again out there,” Green said. “There was some pretty strong wind gusts, especially our last few holes, so committing to the shot you were envisioning was kind of difficult.”

Ryu bogeyed the 18th for 69.

“The weather is really bad,” Ryu said. “Is a little bit cold and so windy.”

The 23-year-old South Korean player won the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship last year for her first LPGA Tour title. She was second last week in Ohio in the Dana Open.

Three-time champion Lydia Ko had a 71 to join second-ranked Lilia Vu (70) and Jennifer Kupcho (72) at 3 under. Ko won as an amateur in 2012 at age 15, successfully defended her title as an amateur in 2013 and won as a professional in 2015.

“It’s not easy — and I think the scores are showing,” Ko said. “Anything kind of under par the past couple days is a really solid round. I’m pretty happy with the way I started this week.”

Kupcho topped the leaderboard at 8 under after birdieing five of the first eight holes in her morning round, then was 5 over the rest of the way. She had a double bogey on the par-4 16th, four bogeys and a birdie on her final nine holes.

“I’m pretty upset,” Kupcho said. “I think in hindsight I still hit 15 greens. Like I was hitting the ball really good. Three-putted 10 and 11 and four-putted 16. I didn’t play bad. Just had a couple shaky putts down the stretch — and that’s going to happen.”

Lexi Thompson was in the group with Henderson tied for 26th at 1 over after a 73 The American plans to play a limited schedule after this season.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Lexi Thompson, of the United States, chips on the first hole during the second round at the LPGA Canadian Women's Open golf tournament in in Calgary, Alberta, Friday, July 26, 2024. (Jeff McIntosh /The Canadian Press via AP)

Jennifer Kupcho, of the United States, watches her tee shot on the fifteenth hole during the second round at the LPGA Canadian Women's Open golf tournament in in Calgary, Alberta, Friday, July 26, 2024. (Jeff McIntosh /The Canadian Press via AP)

Jennifer Kupcho, of the United States, lines up a putt on the fourteenth green during the second round at the LPGA Canadian Women's Open golf tournament in in Calgary, Alberta, Friday, July 26, 2024. (Jeff McIntosh /The Canadian Press via AP)

New Zealand's Lydia Ko hits a tee shot on the first hole during the second round at the LPGA Canadian Women's Open golf tournament in in Calgary, Alberta, Friday, July 26, 2024. (Jeff McIntosh /The Canadian Press via AP)

Korea's Haeran Ryu hits a tee shot on the fourth hole during the second round at the LPGA Canadian Women's Open golf tournament in Calgary, Alberta, Friday, July 26, 2024. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canada's Brooke Henderson hits a tee shot on the second hole during the second round at the LPGA Canadian Women's Open golf tournament in Calgary, Alberta, Friday, July 26, 2024. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)

Lauren Coughlin, of the United States, hits from the fairway on the sixth hole during the second round at the LPGA Canadian Women's Open golf tournament in Calgary, Alberta, Friday, July 26, 2024. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)

Lauren Coughlin, of the United States, hits a tee shot on the seventh hole during the second round at the LPGA Canadian Women's Open golf tournament in Calgary, Alberta, Friday, July 26, 2024. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)