Clutch Homers Erase Slow Start as Pirates Down Cubs; New-Look Bullpen Holds on

It started out as another rough night at the plate, but eighth-inning home runs from Bryan Reynolds and Andrew McCutchen lifted the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 5-3 win over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Monday.

Recap

Dansby Swanson broke a scoreless tie with a solo home run to lead off the bottom of the third inning. With two outs in the fifth, Ian Happ delivered a two-run double to right field to extend the Cubs’ lead to 3-0. 

All three runs came against Jared Jones, who was making his second start since coming off the injured list. Jones turned in a quality start, his 10th of the season. The right-hander went 6.1 innings, allowed six hits, walked one and struck out four. It marked the fourth time this season Jones worked into the sixth inning. 

Former Pirates pitcher Jameson Taillon shut out the Pirates on three hits across seven innings pitched, but the Bucs came through against reliever Jorge López. 

After Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Nick Gonzales opened the eighth with base hits, Reynolds connected on his 22nd home run of the season to tie the game 3-3. Two batters later, Andrew McCutchen hit a towering solo home run to left field to give the Pirates their first lead of the night. 

Gonzales tacked on an insurance run for the Pirates in the top of the ninth inning with a base hit the other way. 

After a scoreless eighth inning from Aroldis Chapman, Dennis Santana recorded his first save with the Pirates and the fourth of his career with a 1-2-3 ninth inning capped off by a strikeout of Swanson. 

Key Moment

Reynolds’ homer was the Pirates’ first extra-base hit since the fourth inning of Saturday’s win against the Guardians. The big blast immediately shifted the momentum into the Bucs’ favor.

B-Rey comes through with a 3-run HR pic.twitter.com/Vqph9o2XqB

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) September 3, 2024

Star off the Game

Though he didn’t get the win, Taillon was lights out for the Cubs in arguably his best start of the season.

Stat to Know

McCutchen’s home run extended his hit streak to 14 games. That’s the longest by a Pirates’ player aged 37 years or older since Honus Wagner’s 16-game hitting streak in 1916.

Cutch. Clutch. pic.twitter.com/j80WQM4naQ

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) September 3, 2024

Noteworthy

• Opposing starting pitchers have allowed one earned run across 19 innings pitched against the Pirates over the last three games. 

Up Next

Rookie Paul Skenes (8-2, 2.23 ERA) will be on the mound for the Pirates against the Cubs on Tuesday night. Justin Steele (5-5, 3.09 ERA) will start for Chicago. First pitch: 7:40 ET