Pirates' Closer Santana Struggles in Shock Loss

0:00It's April 28th, you're listening to MLB News today, AI-powered MLB coverage. Dennis Santana, the Pittsburgh Pirates go too closer, had his worst outing of the season against the St. Louis Cardinals on April 27th. He entered the 9th inning, protecting a two-nothing lead but gave up four earned runs, blowing the save in a four-two loss at PNC Park. The pirate staff had been lights out before that, nearly perfect through 20 batters with just two hits allowed. Santana got one quick out, but then surrendered back to back homers to tie it, loaded the bases, and a double put the cards ahead for good. Santana owned it after the game, calling it a night where nothing clicked, while manager Don Kelly backed him hard, saying he's been clutched for two. Years now. That rare stumbles down in a winnable divisional matchup, but it hasn't shaken the team's faith. Before this, Santana was dealing with a 0.69 ERA over 13 innings and 13 appearances, once one earned run allowed all year.

1:00Since joining off- waivers in June 2024, he's their top reliever with a 2.38 ERA across more than 120 appearances. He'll shake this off quick 30-year-old arms, like his bounce back strong, and with his setup man, Gregory Soto, the pirates late innings stay, locked down, moving forward.