Oneil Cruz's run of successful stolen-base attempts ended at 34 when he was caught by Pedro Pages in the third inning of the Pirates' 6-3 loss to the Cardinals tonight at Busch Stadium.
Cruz, who ranks second in Major League Baseball and first in the National League with 14 steals this season, had a streak that was the most by a Pittsburgh player since caught stealing became an official statistic in 1951. But it's important to note that the Pirates, independently, recognize Hall of Famer Max Carey's consecutive stolen base record of 37, which took place between 1922-23.
Cruz's streak started after he was thrown out by Brewers' catcher -- and WillsonContreras' brother -- WilliamContreras on April 22, 2024. It surpassed the previous mark of 32 set by TonyWomack in 1997.
• Cruz ended up 2 for 4 and made his presence felt on the defensive side, too:
That's a clean catch on a Lars Nootbaar fly ball to center field and a 100-mph throw to the plate to successfully complete an 8-2 double play that put an end to a four-run sixth inning for the Cardinals. It was Cruz's first career outfield assist and the fastest outfield throw to record an out in the majors this season.
"It was a good throw," Derek Shelton said. "We know he's got a good arm, and he had a nice throw."
• It's becoming common for the Pirates to waste scoring opportunities. They generated their three runs on a two-run home run by BryanReynolds in the first inning and a run-scoring single by Adam Frazier in the fourth. They couldn't build on a bases-loaded situation in that latter inning, as Jared Triolo grounded into the team's MLB-leading 36th double play of the season to end the threat, and failed to capitalize with a runner in scoring position in the eighth and runners on the corners in the ninth.
"It's challenging. We had a couple opportunities at the bottom of the order too that we didn't capitalize on," Shelton said. "Like we talked about in the pregame, we have to capitalize on those opportunities to win."
The Pirates actually rank eighth in the majors with a .348 on-base percentage with runners in scoring position, so the issue's far more about basic offense.
• This was the 12th game in a row in which the Pirates have scored four runs or less. They last scored more than four runs in a 9-3 win over the Angels on April 22. It was their 20th game with three or fewer runs scored.
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THE ASYLUM
José Negron
1:19 am - 05.06.2025St. LouisExtra Bases: Cruz's streak snapped
Oneil Cruz's run of successful stolen-base attempts ended at 34 when he was caught by Pedro Pages in the third inning of the Pirates' 6-3 loss to the Cardinals tonight at Busch Stadium.
Cruz, who ranks second in Major League Baseball and first in the National League with 14 steals this season, had a streak that was the most by a Pittsburgh player since caught stealing became an official statistic in 1951. But it's important to note that the Pirates, independently, recognize Hall of Famer Max Carey's consecutive stolen base record of 37, which took place between 1922-23.
Cruz's streak started after he was thrown out by Brewers' catcher -- and Willson Contreras' brother -- William Contreras on April 22, 2024. It surpassed the previous mark of 32 set by Tony Womack in 1997.
• Cruz ended up 2 for 4 and made his presence felt on the defensive side, too:
That's a clean catch on a Lars Nootbaar fly ball to center field and a 100-mph throw to the plate to successfully complete an 8-2 double play that put an end to a four-run sixth inning for the Cardinals. It was Cruz's first career outfield assist and the fastest outfield throw to record an out in the majors this season.
"It was a good throw," Derek Shelton said. "We know he's got a good arm, and he had a nice throw."
• It's becoming common for the Pirates to waste scoring opportunities. They generated their three runs on a two-run home run by Bryan Reynolds in the first inning and a run-scoring single by Adam Frazier in the fourth. They couldn't build on a bases-loaded situation in that latter inning, as Jared Triolo grounded into the team's MLB-leading 36th double play of the season to end the threat, and failed to capitalize with a runner in scoring position in the eighth and runners on the corners in the ninth.
"It's challenging. We had a couple opportunities at the bottom of the order too that we didn't capitalize on," Shelton said. "Like we talked about in the pregame, we have to capitalize on those opportunities to win."
The Pirates actually rank eighth in the majors with a .348 on-base percentage with runners in scoring position, so the issue's far more about basic offense.
• This was the 12th game in a row in which the Pirates have scored four runs or less. They last scored more than four runs in a 9-3 win over the Angels on April 22. It was their 20th game with three or fewer runs scored.
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