Pirates’ Offense Stiflled; Mike Burrows Good But Cubs’ Pitching Better

Mike Burrows held the Chicago Cubs to one run in 5.1 innings but the Pittsburgh Pirates’ offense was stifled in a 2-1 loss at Wrigley Field on Saturday afternoon.

How We Got There

Andrew McCutchen hit a solo home run off Cubs starter Matthew Boyd in the top of the first inning to give the Pirates (29-43) an early 1-0 lead.

The Cubs (43-28) tied the game in the bottom of the third on Ian Happ’s sacrifice fly off Mike Burrows. Chicago went up 2-1 courtesy of a Dansby Swanson solo home run off Ryan Borucki with two outs in the sixth.

The Cubs bullpen tossed 3.0-scoreless innings in relief of Boyd (6-3). Daniel Palencia recorded his sixth save of the season. Nick Gonzales reached on a two-out infield single in the ninth but Ke’Bryan Hayes struck out to end the game.

Key Moment

Manager Don Kelly went to Ryan Borucki to face lefty Pete Crow-Armstrong after Mike Burrows threw a career-high 81 pitches. Borucki (1-3) retired Crow-Armstrong, but Dansby Swanson followed by hitting the game-winning home run.

Star of the Game

Cubs starter Matthew Boyd was one over the minimum across 6.0-excellent innings. The left-hander allowed one hit, walked one and struck out three.

Stat to Know

Mike Burrows matched a career-high with 5.1 innings pitched and set a career-mark with eight strikeouts. Burrows has struck out 20 batters in 15 innings over his last three starts.

Notable Performances

• Mike Burrows: 5.1 innings, five hits, one run, no walks, eight strikeouts, 81 pitches/56 strikes
• Braxton Ashcraft: 2.0 innings, no runs, no hits, no walks, two strikeouts, 18 pitches/14 strikes
• Andrew McCutchen: 2 for 4, one home run, one RBI, one run

Noteworthy

• Following Andrew McCutchen’s home run, Matt Boyd retired the next 14 batters he faced before Tommy Pham drew a leadoff walk in the sixth. Pham was then picked off first base.
• Pham reached 10 years of MLB service time on Saturday.

Up Next

The Pirates and Cubs will conclude their four-game series on Sunday afternoon. RHP Mitch Keller (1-9, 4.15 ERA) will take the mound for Pittsburgh. RHP Colin Rea (4-2, 3.92 ERA) will start for Chicago.