During the course of this young 2022 season, the Pittsburgh Pirates have had some early success against the Chicago Cubs, particularly at Wrigley Field. That trend continued on Friday night, as timely hitting was once again the key to a 4-2 victory for the Bucs over their division rivals.
Jose Quintana started for Pittsburgh, giving up two runs on three hits with three walks and three strikeouts in 4.2 innings. Drew Smyly took the loss for Chicago, giving up four runs on six hits in five innings. Chase De Jong tallied the victory for Pittsburgh, pitching a pair of scoreless innings.
Roberto Perez gave the Bucs an early lead on a two-run single in the top of the second inning that scored Kevin Newman and Josh VanMeter. Chicago tied the game in the bottom half of the frame when Michael Hermosillo scored Patrick Wisdom and Yan Gomes on a double to left field.
A solo homerun by Michael Chavis broke the tie the fourth, and Perez continued his nice day at the plate in the fifth inning when he hit his first homerun of the season to give the Pirates an insurance run.
From there, it was the Pirates’ bullpen that continued its impressive showing, shutting the Cubs’ offense down to secure the victory for the second straight game.
This was another impressive win for this Pirates team. They are finding ways to win games and remain hovering around that .500 mark. They have put themselves in a great position to win this series against the Cubs. They will look to win their third straight game when they take the field Saturday afternoon. Zach Thompson will take the mound for Pittsburgh against Kyle Hendricks for Chicago.
Record vs. Cubs: 3-1
Record vs. N.L. Central: 4-6
Record on the Road: 3-5
Overall Record: 7-7
And…
As Always…
Let’s Go Bucs!
