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Cruz

Cruz sat out Sunday’s series finale against the Braves after suffering a cut on his hand while sliding into home plate earlier in the series. He’s day-to-day heading into Tuesday’s series opener against the Dodgers.

It looks to be just a routine day off for the dynamic 27-year-old outfielder. Jake Mangum will start in his place in center field and will bat seventh for the Pirates against Braves’ right-hander Bryce Elder.

Cruz knocked a base hit in the fourth inning, then slugged a go-ahead, three-run blast off Mike Burrows in the sixth. It was the third home run in four games for Cruz and his 14th on the season while slashing .259/.331/.475 with 43 runs scored, 44 RBI, and 19 steals across 266 plate appearances.

Cruz blew the game open with a three-run blast off Bailey Ober in the second inning. He added a steal after reaching on a groundout in the sixth, then walked and stole his second base in the eighth. The 27-year-old outfielder has delivered on his upside so far, slashing .258/.327/.468 with 13 homers, 40 runs scored, 40 RBI, and 19 steals across 257 plate appearances.

Cruz got a cutter over the heart of the plate and didn’t miss, sending a majestic blast into the Allegheny River over the right-field fence at PNC Park. It’s just the seventh round-tripper to reach the iconic river in the ballpark’s 25-year history, according to MLB.com’s Aiden Stepansky. The incredible feats of strength are nothing new for Cruz, but he’s made strides against left-handed pitching and boasts the highest hard-hit rate of his career so far. He’s up to 12 homers and 17 stelas in 252 plate appearances through 56 games. That’ll work.

Cruz delivered a run-scoring single against Cubs starter Jordan Wicks in the opening frame as part of an impressive three-hit effort. His 17 thefts are the second-most in the National League this season behind Nationals speedster Nasim Nuñez, who is up to 22 already.

Cruz takes a seat with Toronto lefty Patrick Corbin toeing the rubber. It’ll be intriguing prospect Jhostynxon Garcia getting a chance in center field with Nick Gonzales moving up to the leadoff spot. Cruz is hitting .303 (20-for-66) with four homers against lefties this season. However, he’s been struggling a bit of late, hitting just .242 (15-for-62) with one homer and 26 strikeouts over his last 15 games.

Cruz has made some strides against left-handed pitching this season, but the Pirates are going to give Nick Gonzales a look atop the lineup against Cardinals southpaw Matthew Liberatore on Tuesday night.

Cruz’s strong performance got lost in the process of teammate Brandon Lowe slugging two homers while Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber went deep for the ninth time in his last eight games. The 27-year-old power/speed combo threat is two steals behind José Ramírez and Nasim Nuñez for the big-league lead in the stolen base department this season. He’s still striking out a ton, but some strides against left-handed pitching have helped make his batting average a bit more palatable than last year’s abysmal .200 mark.

The Pirates scored two runs against Rockies starter Michael Lorenezen and both were scored by Cruz. He started the Pirates half of the first inning with a double and later scored on a two-out single. Then in the fifth inning, he doubled with two outs and scored on another two-out single. Cruz is hitting .266 with 10 homers, 33 runs, 29 RBI and 15 stolen bases.