With an out in the seventh inning and a Pittsburgh Pirates run behind the Cleveland Guardians, Ji-Man Choi watched and wished while he waited on deck behind Carlos Santana.

“I was hoping he would take a walk so I could probably make a difference up there,” Choi said through interpreter Daniel Park. “When the bases are loaded, I can actually concentrate a little more.”

Choi followed up with a line drive to right field for a two-run single that gave the Pirates the lead and later slid across home plate to score after Jared Triolo’s two-run single that provided the perfect cushion worried.

The Pirates ended their offensive ineptness against Cleveland and rebounded from a four-run deficit with a seventh run from five to a 7-5 win Wednesday afternoon before 26,541 at PNC Park.

The Pirates (42-54) ended a five-game losing streak and failed to win both the three-game streak and six-game home streak after losing three straight losses to the San Francisco Giants over the weekend.

“We were struggling,” said Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds, “so it was good to get a win and make it such a comeback win.”

The Guardians had outplayed the Pirates 21-1 in the first two games of the series. The Pirates had only 10 runs in the five games since the All-Star break and were unwilling to embark on a six-game trip to play the Los Angeles Angels and the San Diego Padres, and in an ominous one Mood.

“It was a big win,” said Pirates manager Derek Shelton. “I give them credit because we kept grinning. It could have been a (bad) situation. We got a run in the first two games and managed it pretty well. They kept going even though they went under.”

The seventh place served as a rallying point for the pirates.

After Nick Gonzales pulled a one-out walk against Nick Sandlin in the seventh game, the Guardians brought in left-hander Sam Hentges to take on pinch-hitter Endy Rodriguez. The rookie catcher, who was 0 for 7 with six strikeouts in his first two career games, hit a bloop single that landed flat left of center in his first major league hit.

“It shows that they trust me,” said Rodriguez, the Pirates’ 2022 minor league player of the year. “That’s good. If they trust me and I trust myself, we’ll have something good. It’s good for me.”

Connor Joe hit a pinch hit for Jack Suwinski and missed an infield single to stress the bases, setting the stage for a crucial play that marked the turning point.

Reynolds missed a sharp grounder in what was initially thought to be a 6-4-3 double play late in the inning on a tight call at first base. The Pirates challenged the call and it was overturned, allowing Gonzales to score and reduce Cleveland’s lead to 4-3.

“I always run hard across the board,” Reynolds said with a shrug. “Of course I was hoping to be safe. I thought it was me when I hit the sack. Basically it was about people having good bats and passing the baton down the line.”

Carlos Santana pulled a full-count walk to again fill in bases for Choi, who aligned the two-run single to the right and gave the Pirates a 5-4 lead.

The Guardians turned to Enyel De Los Santos, but Henry Davis pulled another full-count walk to cover bases for the third time. Triolo hit a two-run single to the left to score Santana and Choi for a 7-4 lead.

“That’s exactly what we talked about, having this big inning where we can get the win,” Triolo said. “We had guys throughout the lineup who swung good balls and had good bats. That’s what it takes.”

Cleveland got a boost when first baseman Josh Bell shot Ryan Borucki’s 2-1 sweeper for his 11th home run — and second in as many games against his former team — Ryan Borucki 401 feet into left field and the stand shortened to 7:5.

David Bednar threw a clean ninth throw, earning his 18th save.

Rich Hill, the Pirates’ left-hander, was knocked out after the first six batters he faced before David Fry hit a leadoff double from Clemente Wall in the third and then advanced to third base through Myles Straw’s sacrificial bunt. But Hill tricked Cam Gallagher into seeing a full-count curveball for a strikeout and then tricked Steven Kwan into dodging to the left, where Reynolds made a diving catch.

The Guardians took a 1-0 lead in the fourth set when Andres Gimenez landed a perfect squeeze bunt on first baseline and Jose Ramirez scored from third base.

Cleveland added three more runs in the fourth run when Amed Rosario hit a two-run double that popped out of Jack Suwinski’s glove when he crashed into the bullpen fence left of center, and Bell followed up with a single to the right Center to make Rosario score 4-0.

The Pirates responded in the fifth set when Davis hit a leadoff single, advanced to third base with Triolo’s single to the left, and scored when Gonzales smoked a single through the middle. Suwinski doubled to the right to hit Triolo and cut the Guardians’ lead to 4-2.

Triolo extended his hitting streak to 12 games, the longest by a Pirates player this season and the second-longest active streak in baseball. According to Elias Sports Bureau, Triolo is only the third Pirates player since 1900 to have a streak of 12 or more games in his first 17 career games, tied with Jewel Ens (1922) and Woody Jensen (1931).

The Pirates pulled Hill after his 97th pitch led to a two-out double from Straw, and Dauri Moreta got Gallagher eyeing a 95-mph four-seater at the top of the zone for what was called a third shot to prevent a run.

“We’re obviously against the urgency of winning,” Hill said. “In my position as a starter, I have to do better and put us in a better winning position and that’s frustrating. But I take full responsibility for that. I think the comeback effect we’ve had all year is because we made it early. We know we can do it and we’ve proven it.”

Kevin Gorman is a Contributor to Tribune-Review. You can contact Kevin via email at kgorman@triblive.com or via Twitter.

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Democrats who control the state legislature late Monday agreed on how $310.8 billion will be spent over the next year and approved a plan that covering a budget deficit of nearly $32 billion without raiding the federal savings account.

The country’s most populous state has run a total budget surplus of well over $100 billion in recent years and has used that money to significantly expand government.

But that year, earnings fell as inflation soared and the stock market struggled. California derives most of its income from taxes paid by the wealthy, making it more vulnerable to economic changes than other states. Last month, the Newsom administration estimated that government spending would exceed revenue by over $30 billion.

The budget, which lawmakers are scheduled to vote on this week, will cover that shortfall by cutting some spending — about $8 billion — while delaying other spending and shifting some spending to other funds. The plan would raise $6.1 billion and set aside $37.8 billion in reserves, an all-time high.

“In the face of ongoing global economic uncertainty, this budget increases our fiscal discipline by increasing our fiscal reserves to a record $38 billion while preserving historic investments in public education, healthcare, climate and public safety,” Newsom said.

Republicans have criticized the budget as unsustainable, noting that it would likely leave the state in billions of dollars in deficits over the next few years. They said the state’s gasoline tax is due to be increased on Saturday, an automatic adjustment linked to inflation. Republicans have repeatedly tried to halt these increases, but to no avail.

“What do the Capitol Democrats have in store for you this holiday weekend? Higher Gas Prices!” Republican Assembly Chairman James Gallagher posted on Twitter.

Budget negotiations stalled over the weekend as Newsom sought major changes to the state’s building and permitting process. Newsom said the changes are necessary to speed up key construction projects, including expanding the state’s energy capacity and modernizing the state’s aging water infrastructure.

However, a group of Central Valley lawmakers feared that Newsom would use the proposal to push through a long-delayed project to build a giant tunnel to bring water to Southern California. In the end, Newsom got most of the changes he wanted — but lawmakers made sure the changes didn’t benefit the tunnel project.

The budget provides a lifeline for public transport operators struggling to survive after the sharp drop in ridership during the coronavirus pandemic. It allows transit companies to use a portion of the $5.1 billion in grants to operate over the next three years.

Still, some San Francisco Bay Area lawmakers said spending wasn’t enough to avert painful benefit cuts for years to come. On Monday they proposed legislation that would increase tolls on seven state-owned bridges — including the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge — by $1.50 over the next five years. State Senator Scott Wiener, a San Francisco Democrat who supports the proposal, said it would generate $180 million in revenue.

Democratic Senator Steve Glazer said he would oppose any toll increase, saying in a statement, “Transport drivers and taxpayers have seen firsthand the trail of broken promises from advocates of a bridge toll increase.”

“The status quo is a failure and we shouldn’t invest another penny to support it,” he said.

The budget doesn’t add an income tax increase to cover the deficit, but it does impose a new tax on managed care organizations — private companies that contract with the state to administer Medicaid benefits. The tax would raise an estimated $32 billion over the next four years.

Some of that money would go towards increasing the revenue of doctors treating Medicaid patients. It would also offer $150 million in loans to hospitals at risk of failure. This is in addition to the $150 million approved by lawmakers earlier this year.

“In good years we have struggled so that we could meet our needs in this difficult year,” said Senate President Pro Tempore Toni Atkins. “This pragmatic approach works for household budgeting and it works for state budgeting.”

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After closing two massive budget gaps this year, San Francisco will face a new deficit of $ 653.2 million over the next two fiscal years as COVID-19 soars and a severe economic shutdown continues to plague the city’s finances .

To fill that void, Mayor London Breed plans to instruct departments on Wednesday to cut costs. This could include painful layoffs and service cuts that have largely been avoided so far.

The city’s budget bureau projects a $ 411.1 million hole for the next fiscal year, which begins in July, and a $ 242.1 million deficit the following year. City officials were hoping for a stronger economic recovery at this point in the pandemic, but sales, hotel and corporate taxes have been lower than expected, while costs associated with the pandemic and expected staff increases are driving up spending.

“We need to be clear about the options if we do not address this deficit, and unfortunately every option is on the table,” said Jeff Cretan, the mayor’s spokesman. “The mayor still has the priority not to fire anyone. But we know that this deficit will require a lot of work and sacrifice and difficult choices. “

Despite the looming cuts, Cretan said the mayor’s budget priorities remain the same: helping small businesses, providing basic services, and helping the homeless and the mentally ill.

The recent virus surge has led the state and city to revert to more extensive business shutdowns. While its biggest budget hit can be attributed to falling tax revenues, the city’s economic troubles also stem from the multi-million dollar hikes promised to most city workers.

Over the summer, Breed urged the 35 San Francisco unions, representing 37,000 city workers, to postpone the increases to avoid layoffs and service cuts. In preparing the budget, the city was confident that negotiations with the unions would postpone an increase, but only police and firefighters agreed.

In August, the Board of Supervisors agreed to use $ 36.9 million in business tax reserves to fund 3% increases for the majority of unions that year. Now the city is ready for a further 3% increase from July 1st and a half percent increase on January 1st, 2022.

Increases could be delayed due to a treaty provision to postpone increases for six months if the budget deficit exceeds $ 200 million, which happened this year. However, this depends on an update of the budget in March.

At the time, the mayor sharply criticized the board’s decision to dive into the city’s reserves.

The supervisor Catherine Stefani – the only supervisor to vote against the Board’s budget proposal in the autumn – accused its colleagues of having adopted a spending plan based on reserves. She said the new budget projections were a “self-inflicted wound”.

“I am very disappointed that we got to this point,” she said in a statement. “Instead of protecting our existing services, my colleagues spent beyond our means. … We have to make painful decisions to get back on track. “

Meanwhile, COVID-19 costs are expected to pull $ 100 million out of the general fund this fiscal year. The largest costs include testing, food security programs, and running the command center in Moscone. While officials expect COVID-19 costs to fall over the next year, they won’t go away entirely. Since the federal CARES law has been used up by the end of 2020, the city plans to spend roughly the same amount in the next fiscal year.

Another unsolved issue that could have budget implications is the city’s homeless hotel program. The Ministry of Homelessness and Supportive Housing is finalizing a program that will accommodate more than 2,300 homeless people in hotels. While the city expects FEMA to reimburse the majority of the expenses – which range from $ 15 million to $ 18 million per month – City Controller Ben Rosenfield has warned that funding could run out in the short term.

The Board of Supervisors plans to vote Tuesday on laws that could lead the city to fund the program longer than currently planned.

The new deficit arises after hard-fought battles to close the deficits this year. The city closed a $ 1.5 billion hole for this fiscal year and next in October and expects to use funds from the previous fiscal year to fill another $ 116 million gap that is better than expected ended. This included revenue from a public health ministry settlement and more property taxes. The rest of the deficit was addressed by streamlining the processes in the departments.

To cope with the crisis, the city has already started reducing its budget stabilization reserves and plans to use the full amount – up to $ 500 million – over the next three years. The deficit expects about $ 100 million to be used by mid-2022 from Proposition I, a voter-approved tax hike on property sales worth more than $ 10 million, but less the next year.

Supervisor Dean Preston proposed a bill last week that will bring in more than $ 11 million in Prop. I finance this financial year for rent relief and affordable housing. If the proposal is adopted, the deficit would increase by an additional $ 11 million.

Kretan said “any decision we make about funding other programs” will affect the ability to meet the mayor’s budget priorities.

The new deficit brings more uncertainty for the struggling city authorities. The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, which lost 95% of its Muni tariffs, has a deficit of at least $ 68 million this fiscal year and potentially $ 168 million in the next fiscal year. The agency could lay off more than 20% of its employees and further restrict the service.

The San Francisco Chamber of Commerce sent a letter to the Board of Supervisors on Friday asking them to prioritize funding for Muni, which is vital for businesses and key workers.

“We are seeing a devastating deficit for MTA and Muni,” said Cretan. “Our transport is the definition of a basic, essential service in our city. If we lose that, it will hinder our economic recovery. It will affect our ability to move workers. As we make decisions, we need to think about the bigger picture and what it means to get this city back on its feet and moving forward. “

Theresa Rutherford, a nursing assistant who works at Laguna Honda and is vice president of SEIU 1021, which represents more than 17,000 city workers, said helping frontline workers is inseparable from the economic recovery.

“Without our input, without our work, without us making the sacrifice and sitting on the line to show up for work and take care of the city, whether it has a deficit or not, the city won’t thrive, it so will not be able to pull yourself out of the pandemic and it will only be in a worse situation, “Rutherford said. “Workers are basically some of the key resources the city needs to invest in to get back on its feet.”

Chronicle author Trisha Thadani contributed to this report.

Mallory Moench is a contributor to the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: mallory.moench@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @mallorymoench

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The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency may have to lay off nearly a quarter of its employees to meet its planned budget deficit for the next fiscal year if the agency does not receive government aid funding, agency officials said this week.

The SFMTA is currently well on its way to running a deficit of $ 68 million by the end of fiscal 2020-21. Since the fiscal year began on July 1, revenue has declined 12.7% as San Francisco residents avoid public transit during the coronavirus pandemic.

The agency has also exhausted many of their one-off tools to save money, such as: B. the introduction of a hiring freeze, the reduction of overtime and the use of federal funds from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act.

Even so, Jonathan Rewers, SFMTA’s senior budget manager, told the agency’s board of directors on Tuesday that the agency’s actual and projected revenue losses are so great that cuts in service and layoffs are on the table as a method of cutting spending.

SFMTA’s current revenue projections for fiscal 2022 show a net deficit of $ 168 million, even when factoring in financial savings such as the agency’s continuation of the agency’s hiring freeze. According to Rewers, without further federal funding, the agency would have to lay off between 989 and 1,226 full-time employees – this corresponds to 18% to 22% of its employees – in order to compensate for the projected deficit.

While the board took no action on Tuesday to address the projected deficits, its members discussed possible vacation days instead of layoffs as a possible tool to reduce revenue.

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