Tag: Playing the odds

Final Score: Pirates 12 Cubs 1

Why The Pirates Won: They did not ignore the reverse splits this time, starting all three of their left-handed batters against lefty Jordan Wicks. It really paid off as the Pirates came flying out of the gate, scoring five runs in the first, with Oneil Cruz and Brandon Lowe getting base hits. Esmerlyn Valdez capped off the inning by hitting a two-run home run to give the Pirates a 5-0 lead. Cruz, Lowe, and Spencer Horwitz went 7 for 10 for the game. There were some at-bats against right-hand pitching, but it was good that the Pirates had the lefties in the game. Wicks settled down to pitch three good innings, only giving up two hits and striking out the side in the bottom of the second. The roof collapsed in the bottom of the fifth when the Pirates got to him and Ryan Rolison, another lefty, to score three runs. They scored single runs in the sixth and seventh and a pair in the eighth. For the third straight game, the Pirate pitchers held an opponent to one run. The Cubs had many opportunities early to get back into the game but could not get out of their own way. For the game, they were 1 for 13 with runners in scoring position, leaving 11 men on base. It was another frustrating day for the Cubs as they lost their tenth game in a row.

Key Moments Of The Game: After the Pirates took the lead 5-0, the Cubs had a couple of innings where they could have gotten back in the game. They started the 2nd off with back-to-back doubles by Alex Bregman and Ian Happ to get a run. On a fly ball out to not-so-deep right field, Happ tried to go to third but was thrown out by Garcia. Suddenly, there were 2 outs and the bases were empty. In the top of the 4th, the Cubs opened with 2 singles by Michael Busch and Bregman. Ian (Larceny In His Heart But Lead In His Feet) Happ hit into a 6U-3 double play. Ashcraft got another ground ball out to end the inning. The top of the 5th was like their last chance, getting runners on 1st and 2nd with 2 outs. Nico Hoerner struck out. The Pirates broke it open in the bottom of the inning. With the score 8-1, the Cubs loaded the bases with one out in the top of the 6th but still could not score. The Pirates won easily and are now 3 games over .500.

Next Game: Tonight, Cubs in Pittsburgh. It will be Jameson Taillon vs. Bubba Chandler. Both pitchers are struggling. Chandler did strike out 11 in his last outing, but he still had trouble finding the plate. Taillon has given up 12 runs in his last two starts. The Pirates have finally gotten Oneil Cruz out of the leadoff spot. I know it is an extremely small sample size, but he has gone 5 for 7. I guess you could say that the Pirates at least did this before June. The Cubs are on a 10-game losing streak—something that seemed impossible about a month ago when they were reeling off all of those home victories in a row. Can the Pirates extend their misery two more games? You can see that the Cubs are pressing. This losing streak has collectively gotten into their heads. It is an interesting thing to watch.