Pirates use 4-run seventh inning to clip Cubs, 5-3

For seven innings, it appeared the Pirates were well on their way to spoiling a welcomed development.

Jared Jones made his second start since coming off the injured list and spun 6 1/3 innings of three-run ball on Monday night at Wrigley Field. Simultaneously, though, the Pirates were blanked by former Pittsburgh hurler Jameson Taillon for seven innings, and faced a three-run deficit entering the top of the eighth.

A flare and a dribbler set the table for Bryan Reynolds, who promptly smacked a three-run homer to center. Two batters later, Andrew McCutchen provided further late-game theatrics with a solo shot to center, which gave the Pirates their first lead of the game and the five-time All-Star his 18th home run of the season.

It gave the Pirates a 4-3 lead, which they held onto en route to a 5-3 victory.

McCutchen now has his most home runs in a season since 2021 (27), and second-highest total since hitting 20 in the 2018 campaign. On the heels of his best month of the year in which he posted a 1.193 OPS, McCutchen picked up where he left off with his four-bagger.

It didn’t hurt that Jones, who struggled his last time out when returning from the injured list, fared much better. He dominated in the first frame, inducing some soft contact before freezing Seiya Suzuki with a slider on the black for one of four strikeouts on the evening. Ten of Jones’ seven whiffs came courtesy of the breaking ball.

The 23-year-old rookie’s outing wasn’t without a couple blips, however. Dansby Swanson pounced on a hanging curveball for a solo home run, and Mt. Lebanon High School grad Ian Happ continued to wreak havoc on his hometown team by tripling down the right-field line in the fifth to drive in two runs.

Despite the red-hot Cubs’ best efforts, the tandem of Reynolds and McCutchen in conjunction with Jones’ quality start paved the path for the Pirates’ second win in seven games.

On the mound

Jones threw 87 pitches on the evening, which was his highest total in game since tossing 94 against the Rays on June 22. His start wasn’t without a handful of mistakes, though. In addition to giving up six hits and walking one, Jones also plunked Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong when he ran a slider too far in.

Ultimately, though, it was a solid start from Jones, who eventually gave way, in order, to relievers Jalen Beeks, Aroldis Chapman and Dennis Santana. Instead of David Bednar, who has been removed from the closer role, earning the save, it was Santana. For the right-hander, it was his third save with the Pirates and just the fourth of his MLB career.

At the plate

Though Reynolds’ and McCutchen’s big blasts were critical to the Pirates’ winning effort, Nick Gonzales added an insurance run in the top of the ninth. With two away in the frame, Gonzales poked a single through the right side to rack up his 41st RBI of the season.

While the Pirates had their way with the Cubs’ bullpen, such wasn’t the case against Taillon outside of Henry Davis. The former No. 1 overall pick smoked a single down the left-field line in the fifth inning, which counted as his second base hit since being recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis in late August.

Davis has struggled mightily this season, entering Monday’s contest with a .143 average and 43 strikeouts in 98 at-bats. Albeit just a single, it was one of his hardest-hit balls since being recalled, and representative of his potential that’s yet to be realized.