MLB Recap · August 20, 2024

Pittsburgh Pirates at Texas Rangers: Final Score & Recap

PIT4
Final
TEX0

Line Score

Team123456789RHE
PIT000300001470
TEX000000000030

The Story

The Pittsburgh Pirates blanked the Texas Rangers 4-0 at Globe Life Field on August 20, 2024, handing the home side a complete shutout that the DiamondIQ model's estimate reflected in full — a pre-game home win probability of 52% that collapsed to 0% by the final out. Pittsburgh manufactured all the damage it needed in the fourth inning, when a Bryan De La Cruz single off Cody Bradford delivered the game's single most impactful offensive moment at plus 18.5% win probability added. Oneil Cruz followed that up with a triple, also off Bradford, adding another plus 10.7% swing and putting the Pirates ahead by three runs before Texas could respond. The Rangers never found traction against Pittsburgh's pitching staff after that burst, and a ninth-inning run pushed the final margin to four.

Mitch Keller was the central figure of the evening, finishing as the game's top performer by win probability added at plus 27.7%, holding Texas's lineup to minimal threat across his outing. Aroldis Chapman reinforced the Pittsburgh bullpen's grip in the eighth, contributing plus 11.8% win probability, highlighted by a Jonah Heim groundout into a double play that represented the Rangers' single most damaging offensive moment of the night — a swing of minus 11.7% that effectively sealed any remaining Texas hope. Josh Jung's single off Keller in the eighth registered a plus 6.6% bump, and Carson Kelly reached on a single off Keller in the sixth for plus 5.2%, but neither threat materialized into runs.

Among Pittsburgh's position players, De La Cruz was the offensive standout with a final WPA of plus 16.4% and a RE24 of plus 0.9, while Oneil Cruz added plus 10.3% WPA and led all position players with a RE24 of plus 1.4, underscoring how consequential his fourth-inning triple proved in shaping the game's outcome. Texas starter Jon Gray finished at minus 0.5% WPA, a figure that reflects how quickly the Rangers' cause deteriorated before he could establish control. Pittsburgh's pitching staff held Texas to three hits across nine innings, and the DiamondIQ model's estimate tracked a one-directional night from the fourth inning forward.

Analysis generated by DiamondIQ's model.

Win Probability

755025PIT bats firstFinalTEX win %PIT win %
DiamondIQ model home win probability across the game (pre-game 52.5% → final 0%).

Biggest Plays by Win-Probability Added

Bryan De La Cruz Single
Top 4th · off Cody Bradford
+18.5%
Jonah Heim Grounded Into DP
Bot 8th · off Aroldis Chapman
-11.7%
Oneil Cruz Triple
Top 4th · off Cody Bradford
+10.7%
Josh Jung Single
Bot 8th · off Mitch Keller
+6.6%
Carson Kelly Single
Bot 6th · off Mitch Keller
+5.2%

Top Batters by WPA

Bryan De La Cruz+16.4%+0.9 RE24
Oneil Cruz+10.3%+1.4 RE24
Josh Jung+3.6%+0.1 RE24

Top Pitchers by WPA

Full box score, pitch data, and the play-by-play timeline
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