CHICAGO — Bryan Reynolds and Andrew McCutchen homered during Pittsburgh’s four-run eighth inning, and the Pirates cooled off the Chicago Cubs with a 5-3 victory on Monday night.
Chicago returned home after closing out an 8-1 trip with six consecutive victories. It was hoping to add to its push for the third NL wild card against Pittsburgh, but it blew a 3-0 lead in the opener of a three-game series.
The Pirates began the eighth with three straight hits against Jorge López (2-3). Pinch-hitter Isiah Kiner-Falefa reached on a bloop single and Nick Gonzales had an infield hit before Reynolds connected for his 22nd homer, tying it at 3 with a drive to the bleachers in left-center.
After Oneil Cruz struck out swinging, McCutchen launched his 18th homer to left-center. McCutchen also extended his hitting streak to 14 games.
“They continued to battle, they played hard,” Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton said, “IKF has a ball fall in, Nick beats out an infield hit and then, you know, Bryan does what Bryan does and then Cutch right behind him.”
McCutchen, now a 37-year-old designated hitter in his second stint with the Pirates, turned on López’s 1-1 inside sinker.
“Bullpen comes in, one little bloop, blast and your back in the game,” McCutchen said. “That’s why no one has answers to reasons why things happen in this game.”
Jalen Beeks (7-4) got two outs for Pittsburgh, and Dennis Santana pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his third save.
Gonzales singled in an insurance run in the ninth as the Pirates won for just the second time in seven games and avenged a three-game sweep by the Cubs in Pittsburgh last week.
Dansby Swanson homered for Chicago, and Ian Happ drove in two runs with a triple. But the Cubs fell 3 1/2 games behind idle Atlanta for the final NL wild card.
Chicago wasted a terrific start for Jameson Taillon, who pitched seven innings of three-hit ball.
“Jamo, he pitched a wonderful game,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “He did a really good job of executing in today to both right-handed and left-hander hitters. That got the ball on the ground a lot, a lot of jam shots and we made some nice defensive plays.”
Taillon threw 89 pitches, 61 for strikes, but Counsell said going with López for the eighth “was an easy decision.”
“He made a couple of good pitches to the first two hitters and they found some holes and then he left some fastballs just in the big part of the plate,” Counsell said.
Pirates rookie Jared Jones permitted three runs and six hits in 6 1/3 innings in his second start after missing nearly two months with a right lat strain.
Swanson’s 13th homer, and third in seven games, followed the two-time Gold Glove shortstop’s four-hit game at Washington on Sunday.
With two runners aboard, Happ tripled down the right-field line with two outs in the fifth to make it 3-0.
The inning was prolonged by rookie Pete Crow-Armstrong’s speed on the bases.
He was on first and Swanson at second when Miguel Amaya hit a bouncer to shortstop. Swanson momentarily screened Pittsburgh’s Alika Williams on the play and Crow-Armstrong reached second just before Williams’ toss to second baseman Gonzales, preventing an inning-ending double play.
UP NEXT
Pirates rookie RHP Paul Skenes (8-2, 2.23 ERA) faces Cubs RHP Kyle Hendricks (3-10, 6.75 ERA) on Tuesday night. Justin Steele was slated to start for Chicago, but the left-hander was scratched because of elbow soreness.
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