Cleveland's Manzardo takes Pittsburgh ace Paul Skenes to the river as Guardians beat Pirates 3-0

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Cleveland's Kyle Manzardo spoiled Paul Skenes' bobblehead day, taking the young Pittsburgh Pirates ace deep in the Guardians’ 3-0 victory on Saturday.

Manzardo led off the seventh by taking the first pitch he saw from Skenes (2-2) and sending it over the right-field stands. The fifth home run of the season by Cleveland's designated hitter landed 411 feet from home plate before bouncing into the Allegheny River.

Steven Kwan had two hits for the Guardians, including a run-scoring single off Skenes in the third. Nolan Jones also had two hits for Cleveland.

Ben Lively (1-2) and four relievers combined to hold the Pirates to six hits. Emmanuel Clase worked the ninth for his fourth save.

Skenes, starting on four days’ rest for the first time this season, worked seven solid innings. The 22-year-old reigning National League Rookie of the Year gave up two runs on six hits with a walk and four strikeouts. The strikeout total marked Skenes' lowest of the season and the fewest in any start of his young career in which he's worked more than six innings.

The loss dampened what had been an electric pregame atmosphere. Fans began lining up outside the gates of PNC five hours before first pitch in hopes of grabbing one of the popular collectibles honoring Skenes.

The giveaway was only supposed to go to the first 20,000 fans. The club pivoted after what club president Travis Williams called ‘unprecedented’ demand, pledging to make sure everyone in the sellout crowd of 37,713 will have an opportunity to obtain one.

The spirit of charity was gone by the ninth. When Enmanuel Valdez was called out at third when he slid past the base while trying to turn a double into a triple, a ripple of “sell the team” chants arose from a crowd frustrated by Pittsburgh's 8-13 start.

The Guardians turned to reliever Cade Smith in the top of the sixth with two on and one out. Smith walked Enmanuel Valdez, but got Tommy Pham to ground into a double play to end the inning.

200 — the number of career strikeouts by Skenes in his 28 starts, tying a club record for fewest appearances needed to reach the 200-strikeout plateau.

The series wraps up Sunday. Logan Allen (1-1, 2.30 ERA) starts for Cleveland, while Mitch Keller (1-2, 4.30) goes for the Pirates.

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Cleveland Guardians pitcher Ben Lively delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Pittsburgh, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians in Pittsburgh, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Cleveland Guardians pitcher Ben Lively delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Pittsburgh, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Pittsburgh Pirates' Oneil Cruz, right, slides safely into third as the ball gets past Cleveland Guardians third base José Ramírez during the sixth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Cleveland Guardians fan Andy Lewis of Elyria, Ohio, holds his Pittsburgh Pirates' Paul Skenes bobblehead before a baseball game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Cleveland Guardians, with Pirates' Paul Skenes pitching, in Pittsburgh, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Cleveland Guardians' Steven Kwan singles off Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes, driving in a run, during the third inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Cleveland Guardians' Daniel Schneemann, right, greeted by Nolan Jones after scoring on a single by Steven Kwan off Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes during the third inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians in Pittsburgh, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s foreign minister alleged Monday that nationwide protests in his nation “turned violent and bloody to give an excuse” for U.S. President Donald Trump to intervene.

Abbas Araghchi offered no evidence for his claim, which comes after activists reported more than 500 have been killed — the vast majority of them demonstrators.

Araghchi spoke to foreign diplomats in Tehran. The Qatar-funded Al Jazeera satellite news network, which has been allowed to work despite the internet being cut off in the country, carried his remarks.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its bloody crackdown on protesters, a move coming as activists said Monday the death toll in the nationwide demonstrations rose to at least 544.

Iran had no immediate reaction to the news, which came after the foreign minister of Oman — long an interlocutor between Washington and Tehran — traveled to Iran this weekend. It also remains unclear just what Iran could promise, particularly as Trump has set strict demands over its nuclear program and its ballistic missile arsenal, which Tehran insists is crucial for its national defense.

Meanwhile Monday, Iran called for pro-government demonstrators to head to the streets in support of the theocracy, a show of force after days of protests directly challenging the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian state television aired chants from the crowd, who shouted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”

Trump and his national security team have been weighing a range of potential responses against Iran including cyberattacks and direct strikes by the U.S. or Israel, according to two people familiar with internal White House discussions who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

“The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night. Asked about Iran’s threats of retaliation, he said: “If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before.”

Trump said that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports of the death toll in Iran mount and the government continues to arrest protesters.

“I think they’re tired of being beat up by the United States,” Trump said. “Iran wants to negotiate.”

He added: “The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate.”

Iran through country's parliamentary speaker warned Sunday that the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America uses force to protect demonstrators.

More than 10,600 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous unrest in recent years and gave the death toll. It relies on supporters in Iran crosschecking information. It said 496 of the dead were protesters and 48 were with security forces.

With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.

Those abroad fear the information blackout is emboldening hard-liners within Iran’s security services to launch a bloody crackdown. Protesters flooded the streets in the country’s capital and its second-largest city on Saturday night into Sunday morning. Online videos purported to show more demonstrations Sunday night into Monday, with a Tehran official acknowledging them in state media.

In Tehran, a witness told the AP that the streets of the capital empty at the sunset call to prayers each night. By the Isha, or nighttime prayer, the streets are deserted.

Part of that stems from the fear of getting caught in the crackdown. Police sent the public a text message that warned: “Given the presence of terrorist groups and armed individuals in some gatherings last night and their plans to cause death, and the firm decision to not tolerate any appeasement and to deal decisively with the rioters, families are strongly advised to take care of their youth and teenagers.”

Another text, which claimed to come from the intelligence arm of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, also directly warned people not to take part in demonstrations.

“Dear parents, in view of the enemy’s plan to increase the level of naked violence and the decision to kill people, ... refrain from being on the streets and gathering in places involved in violence, and inform your children about the consequences of cooperating with terrorist mercenaries, which is an example of treason against the country,” the text warned.

The witness spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing crackdown.

The demonstrations began Dec. 28 over the collapse of the Iranian rial currency, which trades at over 1.4 million to $1, as the country’s economy is squeezed by international sanctions in part levied over its nuclear program. The protests intensified and grew into calls directly challenging Iran’s theocracy.

Nikhinson reported from aboard Air Force One.

In this frame grab from video obtained by the AP outside Iran, a masked demonstrator holds a picture of Iran's Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi during a protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, January. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran shows protesters taking to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran showed protesters once again taking to the streets of Tehran despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (UGC via AP)