The Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Chicago Cubs 2-1 Memorial Day Monday afternoon in the opening game of a four-game series. Catcher Henry Davis hit a game-winning home run in the seventh inning. Starting pitcher Carmen Mlodzinski allowed the Cubs one run over his five innings. Wilber Dotel earned his first major league win in relief. He threw three scoreless innings, while striking out four. Gregory Soto closed the game to earn his sixth save of the year.
Spencer Horwitz scored the first run of the game in the third inning. The Pirates left eight men on base, going 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position.
The two teams play again tonight at 6:40pm. Pre-game on WISR begins at 6:15pm. Braxton Ashcraft will take the mound for the Bucs.
The Cubs have now lost nine games in a row. They are now 29-25. The Pirates are 28-26 and remain 4-1/2 games behind first-place Milwaukee. They are the last-place team in the National League Central, but only 1-1/2 games out of a Wild Card spot.