The Cubs and Pirates matched up for the third game of their series at a sunny Wrigley Field Saturday afternoon. Runs were hard to come by yet again, but Chicago grabbed a late advantage and hung on for a tight win.
Andrew McCutchen greeted Matthew Boyd rudely with a solo home run in the top of the 1st that gave Pittsburgh a 1-0 lead. Nico Hoerner singled off of starter Mike Burrows, stole second base, and then came in to score the tying run on a sacrifice fly by Ian Happ in the 3rd.
Boyd settled in very nicely after the homer, retiring 14 consecutive batters and eventually going six strong frames. The North Siders went in front 2-1 in the bottom of the 6th when Dansby Swanson crushed a solo home run to left against reliever Ryan Borucki.
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The Cubs bullpen handled business in the final three innings, keeping Pittsburgh off the board to preserve the one-run victory. (Box score)
Key Moment
The Pirates got three hits against Ryan Pressly in the 7th, but Bryan Reynolds grounded into a double play to first baseman Michael Busch that prevented the tying run from scoring later in the inning.
Why the Cubs Won
Just a sparkling effort from the starting pitcher and the bullpen assured victory.
Stats That Matter
- Boyd has been outstanding all season long: 6 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 3 K, 1 BB.
- Hoerner had two singles and created the first run with his legs.
- Daniel Palencia secured his sixth save and struck out two hitters with his nasty stuff.
Bottom Line
The Cubs are ”slumping” right now offensively and are still winning about half of their games despite that. The lineup was not going to go the entire season scoring six runs a game, it’s just good to see them grinding out victories. Boyd has turned out to be a terrific addition to the rotation and is the de facto ace right now.
On Deck
The Cubs attempt to take the series Sunday afternoon at 1:20pm CT. Colin Rea goes up against Mitch Keller in a game airing on Marquee with the radio feed on 670 The Score.
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