Vance Worley provided another strong outing and Josh Harrison came through with two big hits as the Pirates defeated the Cubs 5-3 on Saturday night at Wrigley.
A rain delay of two hours delayed the start of the game, but Worley wasn’t phased as he threw 6 2/3 innings of five-hit, three-run ball with most of the damage coming in the fourth inning.
With the Pirates (36-38) leading 1-0 on a Jordy Mercer solo home run, the Cubs (31-41) struck back as Anthony Rizzo followed a Chris Coghlan single with a home run to right.
The lead was short lived, as the Pirates retook the lead in the fifth. With two outs and runners on first and second, Andrew McCutchen and Harrison provided RBI singles to give the Bucs a 3-2 advantage.
The major blow from Harrison came in the seventh, but the play almost didn’t come to be as Gregory Polanco –who was held hitless at the time– was called out on a close play at first with two out. Manager Clint Hurdle challenged the call and was successful extending the inning and Polanco’s career-opening hit-streak to 11 games. Harrison then came up and hit a Justin Grimm slider into the right field bleachers.
Worley allowed only one other run which came in the bottom of the seventh after Eli Whiteside doubled in Junior Lake with two out. The run knocked Worley from the game making way for Jared Hughes, who recorded the final out.
Tony Watson worked a perfect eighth and newly named Pirates closer Mark Melancon struck out the side in the ninth for his 11th save of the season.
Final Score: Pirates 5, Cubs 3.
Worth Noting: Starling Marte was not in the lineup on Saturday as he has traveled home to the Dominican Republic for “family issues”. He will not be back for tomorrow afternoon’s game.
Starters Lines
Worley (W, 1-0): 6 2/3 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K’s, 1 HR. 89 Pitches (68 Strikes).
Wood (L, 7-6): 4 2/3 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K’s, 1 HR. 99 Pitches (57 Strikes).
These two will be back at it tomorrow afternoon in the rubber match of the three game set.
Tomorrow’s Starters
(RHP) Brandon Cumpton (PIT): 2-2, 5.82 ERA
(RHP) Jason Hammel (CHC): 6-4, 3.02 ERA
First pitch is set for 2:20.
(Photo Credit: Getty Images)
