Fly the W: Cubs sweep the Pirates again |
PITTSBURGH - When Major League Baseball announced the new balanced schedule ahead of the season, it came with mixed reviews. On the one hand, you are losing 24 games against your division, as that does kill some rivalries. On the other hand, you are playing everyone in the MLB for the first time, which gives fans a chance to see more teams and players.
Expected to go through plenty of peaks and valleys with this new schedule, the Chicago Cubs (36-38) have certainly gone through their valleys this season but are now riding one of those peaks. With the help of the Pittsburgh Pirates (34-39), who have now lost nine straight, the Cubs have gotten hot at the right time and have now won 11 of their last 13 games. That includes six wins against this Pirates squad and, going back to last season, 11 of their last 12 against the Pirates as the Cubs picked up their second sweep in as many weeks against Pittsburgh with an 8-3 showing at PNC Park. Not only is the Cubs record against the Pirates this year impressive, but this is just the third time in franchise history they have started 6-0 against the Pirates as they have outscored them 48-15 this season. Kyle Hendricks took the ball for the Cubs on Wednesday as he continued to look in midseason form. Granted, this is the middle of the season, but when it comes to Kyle, this is just his fifth start after missing nearly a year with a shoulder injury. Hendricks may not be missing the bats he once was with three walks and two strikeouts, but he is getting the job done, allowing three runs (1ER) in 6 1/3 innings. Career win No. 90 for The Professor 👨🏫 pic.twitter.com/ZCBiChbPQt He did his part on the mound while the offense got things rolling against the ageless wonder Rich Hill. For most of the season, Hill was dialed in early as he allowed three runs through five innings; once the sixth inning rolled around, you could see him laboring as he finished his start with five runs allowed (3ER) in 5 2/3 innings. After being shut out in their first two games of the series, it was only a matter of time until that streak ended, which happened in the second inning. With Connor Joe opening the bottom of the second with a walk, Josh Palacios made Hendricks pay for a rare mistake as his RBI double not only gave the Pirates their only lead of the series, but was their first run ending a 19-inning scoreless stretch. Despite their lead, it didn't last long as the suddenly surging Cubs offense got right to work in the third. Miguel Amaya picked a great time to pick up his first MLB double leading off the inning to set himself up in scoring position. That was followed by a Mike Tauchman walk and a Nick Madrigal sacrifice bunt as the Cubs had a pair of runners in scoring position and one out. Leave it to the top of the order to deliver in the clutch, with Nico Hoerner lacing an RBI triple to put the Cubs in front for good before coming home on the Seiya Suzuki sacrifice fly to make things 3-1. 3-run third! pic.twitter.com/cWC7rIkHGL Hill would eventually get out of the inning and retire the next seven he faced, but the damage was done. With Hill suddenly in his groove, it was up to Hendricks to match him, and that he did as he kept the Pirates bats in check after that second-inning double and, at one point, retired 12 of 13 hitters. Sensing the end of the road for Hill, the Cubs were looking to add some insurance as a critical error allowed Christopher Morel to reach and extend the top half of the sixth. That was followed by a hit-by a pitch to Trey Mancini before an Ian Happ double opened things up, with the Cubs now leading 5-1. For Happ, the series back at home against the Pirates seemed to wake him up offensively, and he has continued that into this week. He has reached base in 52 consecutive games against the Pirates, which is the second-longest streak in MLB history against one team. 2-out 2 RBI double for the hometown kid, @ihapp_1!#VoteCubs | https://t.co/iq0lKgoH7i pic.twitter.com/mEo9uHuHZf Chicago kept the pressure on in the seventh, with Hoerner going the opposite way for his fifth homer of the season and pushing the lead to 6-1. Nico Hoerner - Chicago Cubs (5) pic.twitter.com/v0TpPSdVJh
Looking back at the last three starts for Hendricks, there haven't been many times where he was in danger of allowing a big inning. That changed in the bottom half of the seventh as the Pirates mounted their best chance at a big inning. Joe opened the seventh with a sharp single up the middle while a one-out hit by a pitch and walk loaded the bases for the Pirates and was the end of the road for Hendricks. Looking to hold onto the lead, David Ross went with Mark Leiter Jr in a difficult spot, but facing a pair of left-handers who he has dominated this season. Leiter Jr continued to do great work picking up a strikeout to Rodolfo Castro and getting Tucupita Marcano to roll one over to Mancini at first. The only problem was that Mancini bobbled the ball on his way to first and then tried to flip it to Leiter Jr as two runs would score on the error and cut the Cub's lead to 6-3. To make matters worse, it looked like Leiter Jr was severely hurt on the play, but he got up to finish the inning without further damage. Here's hoping All-Star caliber reliever Mark Leiter Jr. is going to be OK after this scary incident at 1st base in the 7th. Mark got up and finished off the inning, of course. But on a long flight to London you never know.@Cubs #GoCubsGo #LeitShow pic.twitter.com/M7e0Z8vrWy
One thing the Cubs have done well against the Pirates this season is adding on against their bullpen, which is what they did against Angel Perdomo in the eighth. A one-out double from Happ got things rolling, but the two-out walks from Amaya and Tauchman kept the line moving and brought Madrigal to the plate. Since returning from AAA, Madrigal has looked like a much different player, consistently making hard contact and getting on base. That was no different in this spot, as he lined one the opposite way for the single and pushed the Cub's lead back to 8-3. Nicky 2-runs!@NickMadrigal_3 pic.twitter.com/yDmna3NZgV That was it for the offense, but the Cubs were still in a great spot, with Julian Merryweather and Michael Fulmer finishing things. Talk about two guys who have been on a role as of late; Fulmer hasn't allowed a run over his last 10 games, while Merriweather has posted a 0.82 ERA going back to April 29th. Merryweather was a little shaky in the eighth, walking a pair and throwing a ton of pitches, but he also struck out a pair to pitch another scoreless frame. The same can be said about Fulmer, who needed fewer than 10 pitches to get through the ninth as he locked things down to hand the Cubs another sweep. The Cubs had eight hits, with three players picking up two. Hoerner led the way with two hits and three RBIs, with Suzuki and Happ also picking up two. Happ added two RBIs as he continued to dominate the Pirates. At two games under .500, the Cubs will board the plane and cross the Pond, where they will begin a two-game set with the Cardinals in London on Saturday. "We really feel like a cohesive unit together."
Kyle Hendricks on the Cubs' starting rotation. pic.twitter.com/EnA7JxlktF
