Gregory Soto somehow escapes with 12th save

Brandon Marsh homered with one out and Bryson Stott singled with two outs, at which point Soto was pulled. Yohan Ramírez took over and allowed the inherited runner to score before finishing the inning. That might have created a save chance for Mason Montgomery, but the Pirates scored three times in the top of the ninth to take it away. Montgomery then pitched a hitless ninth with a four-run lead. Soto has blown two saves and given up runs in two other appearances this month, so it looks like the closer’s role in Pittsburgh is open again. Montgomery, Dennis Santana and Ramirez could all factor into the mix, with Carmen Mlodzinski also possibly picking up some multi-inning saves.

Soto took the mound in the ninth inning with a one-run lead and allowed the first two runners to reach before inducing a double play on a grounder. He then issued a walk to put runners on the corners with two outs before serving up a three-run homer to Eugenio Suárez to blow the lead and fall in line for a loss. It hasn’t been the best stretch for the 31-year-old left-hander, giving up nine runs over his last seven outings, raising his ERA to 3.93 across 34 1/3 innings.

It wasn’t a save, since the Pirates scored twice in the bottom of the eighth, but it was a positive outing for Soto, who had allowed seven runs — six earned — over four innings in his previous five appearances. He retired JP Crawford, Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodríguez without incident today.

Soto retired just one of the first four batters he faced to make things interesting, but he then got Willi Castro to ground into a game-ending double play. Dennis Santana gave up a three-run homer in the eighth today, so he certainly didn’t gain any ground on Soto today. Still, Soto has surrendered five earned runs this month to take his ERA from 1.95 to 3.34.

Soto took the mound in the ninth inning to preserve a one-run lead against the Athletics. He worked around two hits, striking out two batters to secure the win for the Pirates with his 11th save to go with a 3.16 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and a 37/12 K/BB ratio across 31 1/3 innings.

Soto was called on in the ninth inning to close out the game against the Marlins with a one-run lead. He allowed a leadoff single before retiring the next three batters to finish out the game with his 10th save. The 31-year-old left-hander has emerged as one of the better closers with a 3.26 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, and a 35/12 K/BB ratio across 30 1/3 innings.

Soto surrendered a two-run blast to Shohei Ohtani that cut the lead to one, but he made it through the inning otherwise unscathed. The veteran lefty has fully taken over the closer role in Pittsburgh, securing each of their past eight saves that weren’t of the three-inning variety. Dennis Santana hasn’t recorded a save since April 15. The Pirates might look to upgrade their bullpen at the trade deadline, but Soto’s role should be safe for now.

Soto entered with the Pirates up 9-6, two on and two out in the eighth and never made it out of the inning. Yordan Alvarez singled to make it 9-7. Christian Walker then hit a slow roller to the right side with Brandon Lowe pulled toward second and Lowe failed to make the play for a cheap infield single. After that came a bases-loaded walk and a Cam Smith triple. Soto was having a fantastic season, but outings like this were always on the way. He’s still the clear favorite for saves in Pittsburgh right now, but that might change at some point. There’s the chance that Carmen Mlodzinski could enter the mix after getting sent to the pen.

The Pirates started the bottom of the ninth with a six-run lead and Dennis Santana on the mound. Santana allowed two runs in on three hits and a walk before Soto took over with one out. He extinguished the threat quickly, striking out the final two batters for his eighth save of the season.

Soto entered in the top of the eighth up by one run with two runners on and two outs and induced a groundout to end the threat. He returned for the ninth and worked around a walk to close out the game with his seventh save of the season. The 31-year-old left-hander has taken hold of the closer role in Pittsburgh behind a 1.95 ERA, 0.76 WHIP, and a 32/11 K/BB ratio across 27 2/3 innings.