Pirates Blow 7 Run Lead, Cement Sweep With 14-10 Loss to Cubs

After suffering lopsided losses in the first two games of the series, the Pirates looked ready to flip the script on Wednesday afternoon, leaping out to a 10-3 lead behind superstar rookie Paul Skenes. It was all Cubs from there, as Chicago scored eleven unanswered runs on the way to an 14-10 win.

Chicago drove up Paul Skenes’ pitch count early, making him labor on a muggy afternoon and forcing him out of the game after five innings, six strikeouts and 82 pitches. The Cubs then tormented the Pirates’ bullpen, culminating in David Bednar’s sixth blown save of the season. Pittsburgh (62-71) designated hitter Bryan Reynolds led the early offensive surge, hitting a towering homer and reaching base four times.

Recap:

Hometown kid and Pirates’ kryptonite Ian Happ led off the game with a double, giving Oneil Cruz an early opportunity to field his new position. A groundout moved Happ to third before he scored on a two-out single from Cody Bellinger.

Bryan Reynolds tied the game in the bottom of the inning, crushing a 429-foot homer to right off Cubs’ starter Kyle Hendricks.

Back-and-forth play continued in the second inning, with Chicago tagging Skenes for two more runs, one unearned after a controversial throwing error on a spectacular 103.3 mile per hour outfield throw from Cruz. Isiah Kiner-Falefa grounded out to plate one run, then a Reynolds single tied the game at three.

The rally nearly ended when Rowdy Tellez popped up to the outfield grass, but third baseman Isaac Parades took a lackadaisical route to the ball and allowed it to fall into no man’s land, scoring two more runs. A ground-rule double from Billy McKinney pushed the score to 6-3 and chased Hendricks from the game.

Connor Joe homered to lead off the fourth, then Alika Williams laid down a bunt with runners at the corners to make it 8-3. Joe tacked on two more runs the following inning, doubling to score Reynolds before Cruz came around on a fielding error from Happ.

Cubs’ catcher Christian Bethancourt clubbed a two-run homer off Kyle Nicolas in the seventh inning. Bethancourt added two more runs in the eighth on a double down the line that caromed awkwardly off the wall in foul territory. Happ singled him home to trim the deficit to 10-8 and send Aroldis Chapman to the dugout.

Chicago tagged Bednar for five earned runs in the ninth, storming ahead 14-10.

Key Moment:

David Bednar’s ninth-inning meltdown, which both surrendered the lead and left Pittsburgh with little chance of coming back.

Star of the Game:

Reynolds, who went 3-for-5 with a homer and a walk.

Stat of Interest:

Paul Skenes pitched five innings, his shortest outing since June 5 against the Dodgers. While he’s remained excellent during the month of August, his 3.09 ERA across the past five starts sits a step back from his lofty standards.

Noteworthy:

• Oneil Cruz increased his on-base streak to 20 games with a second inning double.
• Yasmani Grandal drew two walks in the second inning, just the 20th time since 1969 that a Pirates player managed the feat in a single frame.
• Joe’s home run marks his second of the series.
• Chicago scored 41 runs in the three game series.

Up Next: 

The Pirates will get Thursday off before heading north to face the Cleveland Guardians at 7:10pm Friday. Bailey Falter (6-7, 4.25 ERA, 79 K’s) will face Ben Lively (11-8, 3.62 ERA, 102 K’s).