ONEIL CRUZ

Josh Bell homered from both sides of the plate in his Arizona debut, Ketel Marte also hit two home runs and the Diamondbacks beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-8 on Friday night after blowing a five-run lead.

Ketel Marte, Joc Pederson and newcomer Josh Bell hit consecutive first-inning home runs for the Arizona Diamondbacks against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night.

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz remains confident he will return sometime this season.

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz will miss at least four months after having surgery to repair a fractured left ankle.

The Tampa Bay Rays are on such a roll, the only question is which of their stats is most impressive.

Albert Pujols hit his 703rd home run, breaking a tie with Babe Ruth for second place in career RBIs, but the St. Louis Cardinals lost to Pittsburgh 3-2 when the Pirates drew four consecutive walks in the ninth inning to force home the winning run.

Jacob deGrom struck out 13 batters — the most ever for a Mets pitcher who threw five or fewer innings — but didn’t factor into the decision.

Albert Pujols hit his 697th home run, moving past Alex Rodriguez into fourth place on the career list and doing it in dramatic fashion with a ninth-inning drive that rallied the St. Louis Cardinals over the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3.

Albert Pujols hit his 696th home run, tying Alex Rodriguez for fourth place on the career list, and the St. Louis Cardinals rallied past the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-5.

Bryce Harper hit a two-run single in his first at-bat after a 52-game absence due to a broken left thumb, helping the streaking Philadelphia Phillies to a 7-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Things got sticky when a fan at a Philadelphia Phillies game caught Oneil Cruz’s bat and didn't want to give it back.

Pittsburgh Pirates rookie Oneil Cruz has recorded the hardest-hit ball in the seven years that Major League Baseball has measured exit velocity.

Pittsburgh infielder Rodolfo Castro lost his phone on the field and the Pirates were stymied by rookie Tommy Henry in a 6-4 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Ryan McKenna hit a two-run double in the fifth inning, and the Baltimore Orioles won their fifth straight game, 6-3 over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Willson Contreras drew a standing ovation in perhaps his last home game at Wrigley Field, then keyed an early burst as the Chicago Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-2 for their season-high sixth straight win.

Nick Fortes and Miguel Rojas hit RBI singles in the 10th inning and the Miami Marlins beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-5.

New York Yankees prospect Jasson Dominguez and Minnesota’s Matt Wallner hit two-run homers in the third inning, leading the American League over the National 6-4 in the annual Futures Game of top prospects.

Brian Anderson atoned for a costly error with a two-run triple in the 11th inning and the Miami Marlins beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-2 Thursday.

Highly touted Pirates shortstop prospect Oneil Cruz is leading the charge of young players that the club hopes to build around.

Newly promoted Oneil Cruz drove in four runs and Bligh Madris got three hits in his major league debut, sparking the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 12-1 romp over the Chicago Cubs.

Manny Machado was out of the lineup a day after spraining his left ankle, but Padres acting manager Ryan Flaherty is optimistic the All-Star third baseman won’t need to go on the injured list.

The San Diego Padres will see how star third baseman Manny Machado is feeling, a day after he sprained his left ankle while taking a tumble running out a grounder.

Jack Suwinski hit his third homer of the game in the ninth inning, giving the Pittsburgh Pirates a 4-3, walk-off victory over the San Francisco Giants to avoid a three-game sweep.