Cruz Homers Off Miller in 9th, Pirates Beat Padres 1-0

Oneil Cruz hit the first home run allowed by Mason Miller in more than a year, connecting with two outs in the ninth inning Tuesday night to send the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 1-0 victory over the San Diego Padres.

Cruz lined a low 98-mph pitch from Miller (4-2) into Petco Park's short porch in right field for his 17th homer of the season. Miller, the Padres' All-Star closer and a Pittsburgh native, had not allowed a home run in 73 consecutive appearances since Arizona's Lourdes Gurriel Jr. did it on August 5, 2025, in Miller's second outing for his new team.

Gregory Soto (6-4) threw a scoreless eighth inning for Pittsburgh, and Mason Montgomery earned his sixth save.

Paul Skenes, the Pirates' reigning National League Cy Young Award winner, pitched six innings of three-hit ball in a solid rebound performance. San Diego's Michael King allowed five hits over seven scoreless innings in his latest strong start.

San Diego did not get a hit off the Pirates' bullpen and lost consecutive games for the first time since July 23, interrupting a 21-7 surge into playoff position.

Skenes had gone 0-3 with a 6.46 ERA over his previous five starts, prompting the Pirates to give their ace extra rest last week. Pitching in his native Southern California, Skenes issued no walks while his fastball again touched 98 mph, easing concerns about a dip in velocity earlier this month.

After escaping a bases-loaded jam in the first inning, King settled in and matched his longest start of the season, striking out seven.

Bubba Chandler (6-8, 4.38 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Pirates on Wednesday, while Randy Vásquez (9-6, 4.19 ERA) is likely to get the bulk of the innings for the Padres.