The Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Chicago Cubs 12-1 last night at PNC Park. Rookie Esmerlyn Valdez had a two-run home run helping to cap a five-run first inning for the Bucs. He ended the game with three RBI’s. Every Pirate starting player had a hit in the game, except catcher Henry Davis, who hit the game-winning home run the day before.
Valdez is the seventh player in Pirates history to hit two home runs within his first four Major League games. The last to do it was Austin Meadows in 2018.
Spencer Horwitz hit his sixth home run of the season in the seventh inning. Oneil Cruz led the Pirates 15-hit attack with three hits. He also stole his 17th base.
Braxton Ashcraft earned his fourth win of the year, allowing just one run over 6-1/3rd innings. He struck out five as the Pirates won their third straight game.
The Cubs have now lost 10 games in a row. Both teams are now 29-26 overall and trail Milwaukee by 4-1/2 games.
The Pirates host the Cubs again tonight at 6:40pm. WISR pre-game begins at 6:15pm. Bubba Chandler will start for the Bucs. Former Pirate Jameson Taillon will start for Chicago.
The Cubs are just the second team in major league history to have two 10-game winning streaks and one 10-game losing streak in the same season, joining the 2017 Los Angeles Dodgers.