Patrick Wisdom hit a three-run home run to help pace the visiting Chicago Cubs on Sunday to an 8-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Ian Happ and Esteban Quiroz each added an RBI single for the Cubs (67-86), who won three of four in the series. They also clinched the season series 10-9.
Chicago starter Adrian Sampson (3-5) allowed one run and four hits in six innings, with three strikeouts and no walks. Left-hander Brandon Hughes got the final out with the bases loaded in the ninth for his seventh save.
Bryan Reynolds hit a home run for the Pirates (56-97), who have lost nine of 10.
Pittsburgh starter Luis Ortiz (0-1), in his third major league start, gave up one run and one hit in 4 2/3 innings, with seven strikeouts and two walks.
In the top of the fifth, the Cubs' Zach McKinstry drew a two-out walk. That put Ortiz at his hard pitch-count limit of 80, and he was replaced by left-hander Manny Banuelos.
Banuelos walked Quiroz before giving up an estimated 445-foot homer to Wisdom, his 25th, to center for a 3-0 Chicago lead and just the Cubs' second hit.
With two outs in the sixth, Reynolds got the Pirates on the scoreboard with a home run to right-center, his 26th of the season that closed the deficit to 3-1.
In the seventh against the Pirates' Duane Underwood Jr., Quiroz singled to left and Wisdom was hit by a pitch. Happ knocked in Quiroz with a single to center. Wisdom and Happ executed a double steal as Nico Hoerner struck out, then both scored when shortstop Oneil Cruz misplayed Nelson Velazquez's grounder for a fielding error, making it 6-1.
In the eighth against Pittsburgh's Miguel Yajure, Alfonso Rivas singled to left and, an out later, went to second on a wild pitch before McKinstry walked. Quiroz drove in Rivas with a single to right, and McKinstry scored on a wild pitch and throwing error by catcher Jason Delay, making it 8-1.
Pittsburgh picked up two runs in the ninth on sacrifice flies by Rodolfo Castro and Jack Suwinski.
--Field Level Media
Chi. Cubs | Pittsburgh | |
Adrian Sampson | Player | Luis Ortiz |
Win | W/L | Loss |
6.0 | IP | 4.2 |
3 | Strikeouts | 7 |
4 | Hits | 1 |
1.50 | ERA | 1.93 |
Chi. Cubs | Pittsburgh | |
Esteban Quiroz | Player | Oneil Cruz |
2 | Hits | 2 |
1 | RBI | 0 |
0 | HR | 0 |
2 | TB | 2 |
.667 | Avg | .500 |
Team | Hits | HR | TB | Avg | LOB | K | RBI | BB | SB | Errors |
Chi. Cubs | 10 | 1 | 14 | .256 | 22 | 15 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
Pittsburgh | 6 | 1 | 10 | .200 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 |