Pirates Waste Mike Burrows Start, Lose to Cubs

Boyd would dominate the Pirates the rest of his start, retiring 14 straight batters until the sixth inning, when he walked left fielder Tommy Pham, who got picked off trying to steal second base.

He would finish with just one hit over six innings, one walk and six strikeouts over 93 pitches.

Pirates rookieright-handed starting pitcher Mike Burrows had his best start of his young career himself.

Burrows allowed five hits, one run and no walks over 5.1 innings, posting a career-high eight strikeouts over 81 pitches.

He befuddled Cubs batters with a mixture of pitches, with five strikeouts on the changeup, two strikeouts on the slider and one strikeout on the fastball.

Burrows did allow a leadoff single to Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner. He should've gotten a pop out from left fielder Mike Shaw, but Pirates second baseman Nick Gonzales lost the ball in the sun.

Hoerner stole second base, then moved to third base on the groundout from Shaw and scored on a sacrifice fly from left fielder Ian Happ, tying it at 1-1 in the bottom of the third inning.

Burrows got the first out of the sixth inning, before Pirates manager Don Kelly went with left-handed pitcher Ryan Borucki.

Borucki got Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong to ground out, but allowed a solo home run to shortstop Dansby Swanson, as the home team took a 2-1 lead.

The Pirates would end their hitless streak, as McCutchen ledoff the top of the seventh inning with a single, but right fielder Bryan Reynolds hit into a double play.

Gonzales and third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes hit back-to-back singles afterwards, but catcher Henry Davis would strikeout looking on a called four-seam fastball outside.

Pham would walk with one out in the top of the eighth inning, but shorstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa lined out to Hoerner and center fielder Oneil Cruz grounded out.

Rookie right-handed pitcher Braxton Ashcraft put in a great bullpen outing for the Pirates. He got three fly outs on five pitches in the seventh inning and then struckout two Cubs batters in the eighth inning.

The Pirates will look to even up the series vs. the Cubs in the finale on June 15. First pitch is set for 2:20 p.m. (EST).