Steven Brault was magnificent on the mound on Tuesday night, holding the Chicago Cubs to just two hits and three walks in his seven innings of work on the mound, leading the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 3-2 victory at PNC Park.
Before the seventh inning, Brault had pitched 10 straight hitless innings dating back to his previous start. Despite not registering a victory on Tuesday, he did lower his ERA to 3.38 for the season while keeping the dangerous Cubs’ offense in check all night.
Pittsburgh scored the game’s first run in the bottom of the second. Erik Gonzalez doubled on a line drive to right field, scoring Gregory Polanco. A double by Adam Frazier in the fifth scored Polanco and the Bucs held a 2-0 lead.
The Bucs held the lead until the eighth inning, when the Cubs capitalized on something that has plagued Pittsburgh all year – the bullpen.
Anthony Rizzo hammered a two run homerun over the right field wall to tie the game 2-2. But a walk-off solo homerun by Jacob Stallings in the bottom of the ninth propelled the Pirates to just their 16th victory of the season.
It’s always nice to beat a divisional opponent, especially when it’s the team occupying first place. The Cubs have clinched a playoff berth, while the Pirates are looking at their final few days of the season.
These two teams will meet back up on Wednesday night for the third game of this four game series.
Record vs. Cubs: 2-6
Record vs. N.L. Central: 14-24
Record at Home: 11-18
Overall Record: 16-39
And…
As Always…
Let’s Go Bucs!
