Jones' solid return supported by Tellez before Cruz's walk-off

PITTSBURGH -- Just like his walkout song by Natasha Bedingfield proclaims, the rest of Jared Jones’ 2024 is still unwritten.

Jones had his last start skipped last Friday in Atlanta, a move that was not at all reflective of how the 22-year-old stud has performed, but rather to manage his innings. The Pirates don’t have a particular number in mind of how many they would want him to throw this season at this time, wanting to monitor how he’s feeling so they don’t overtax him in his first Major League season.

“Had a lot of time off, so I’m not really used to that,” said Jones. “Feel like after that first inning the rust kind of settled off, and just got right back to work.”

The good news is Jones didn’t need to shake off that much rust to get back into game action Wednesday at PNC Park, tossing five innings of one-run ball in what would be a 5-4 Pirates victory over the Cardinals in 10 innings.

Jones started by walking two of the first three batters he faced, but after a visit to the mound by Joey Bart, he settled in, allowing just four more baserunners the rest of the game while striking out five.

“[Bart] said some really good words and pulled me right back into the game,” Jones said. “It was smooth sailing from there.”

Jones was removed after five innings and 78 pitches due to what manager Derek Shelton called a “little right lat strain.” Jones said he wasn’t concerned about its severity postgame, saying it would have been “really stupid” to keep pitching, but he could have if necessary.

Potential minor injury aside, Jones showed again why he’s such an important part of this club’s present and future, attacking fearlessly against a divisional rival in a key July matchup.

“I think we’re seeing him grow up before our eyes, in terms of the situations that he has to handle,” said Shelton.

Getting Rowdy
Wednesday was perhaps Rowdy Tellez's most complete game as a Pirate, recording three hits -- including a home run -- making a diving snare in the ninth for the final out of the inning, and making an aggressive turn from first to third on a Nick Gonzales bloop to right to set up the Pirates’ first two runs in the fifth.

It was a banner performance, so which was the sweetest?

"Probably the first to third because my speed is underrated,” answered Tellez. “A lot of people don't understand how fast I actually am. I think today they said I was point-six [feet-per-second] below league average on my sprint, so I'm getting there."

Tellez had a huge month of June, hitting .333 with a .925 OPS and 14 RBIs, and the hot bat is carrying over to the start of July. Even if he can’t maintain that pace, it looks like the April-May Tellez is well in the rearview mirror.

“Through the first two months, he never changed who he was,” Shelton said. “He owned up to the fact that he was scuffling. He owned up to the fact that he needed to be better. He owned up to his work. I think that speaks as a testament of who he is that he didn’t change.”

• Internal improvements on horizon for Bucs? Just look at Tellez, Cruz

Cruz plays the hero
Oneil Cruz is developing a flair for the dramatic. He picked up his first walk-off hit of his career on April 6 against the Orioles, and he tied a game against the Giants on May 21 with a line-drive double.

Add another hit to the highlight reel Wednesday, when he jumped on a first-pitch JoJo Romero slider and laced a single into right to score Andrew McCutchen and win it.

“It feels good, obviously,” said Cruz, via interpreter and coach Stephen Morales. “I stayed focused through the whole game and that's how we, as a team, got the win tonight.”

Cruz won it in the 10th, but made an equally important play in the first, grabbing an over-the-shoulder bloop to rob Brendan Donovan of a two-out RBI single.

“Actually being honest with you, I was a little bit afraid just to run into [center fielder Jack] Suwinski just because he's a big, strong man,” Cruz said, beaming a wide smile. “But we completed the play, and that's the most important thing.”

“He’s a pretty good player,” Jones said of Cruz. “Makes a lot of really good plays and does a lot of special things on the field. I’m really happy to have him behind me.”