Cubs vs Pirates Recap: Pirates Dominate, 12-1

The Cubs came into PNC Park looking to bounce back after dropping the first game of the series 2-1. Chicago's pitcher Jordan Wicks took the mound with everything to prove. But Pittsburgh had other plans. In the bottom of the first inning, the Pirates absolutely unloaded. Bryan Reynolds smashed a double down the left field line, and two runners came racing home. Then Oneil Cruz followed with a sharp single to left, scoring Reynolds. The damage kept coming when Esmerlyn Valdez crushed a 415-foot bomb to center field, sailing over the wall. Just one inning in, Pittsburgh led 5-0. Wicks was already in serious trouble. The Cubs managed one run in the second when Ian Happ doubled and Alex Bregman scored, but it barely made a dent. Pittsburgh's bats were humming.

The Pirates didn't slow down one bit. In the fifth inning, Nick Gonzales singled to right field, bringing Lowe across the plate. Wicks was pulled after that, and Ryan Rolison came in to pitch. But Rolison couldn't stop the bleeding. Esmerlyn Valdez walked with the bases loaded, forcing Reynolds to score. Then Spencer Horwitz lifted a sacrifice fly to center field, and Gonzales scored. Pittsburgh was crushing everything. The Pirates moved to 8-1, then 9-1. In the sixth inning, an error by Alex Bregman at third base allowed Griffin to score. By the seventh inning, Spencer Horwitz launched a home run to right, and Pittsburgh extended its lead to 10-1. The Cubs were completely overwhelmed by Pittsburgh's offensive firepower and couldn't mount any comeback threat.

By the eighth inning, the game was completely out of reach for Chicago. The Cubs had given up so many runs that any comeback seemed impossible. Hoby Milner pitched for Chicago now, trying to limit the damage. But the Pirates kept adding to their total. Jake Mangum grounded out to third base, but Jared Triolo scored on the play. Then Marcell Ozuna singled to center field, bringing Nick Gonzales across the plate for run number 12. The final score was Pittsburgh 12, Chicago 1. The Pirates had dominated from start to finish. Braxton Ashcraft was brilliant on the mound for Pittsburgh, allowing just one earned run over six and a third innings. This win gave the Pirates a winning record of 30-26 and dropped the Cubs to 29-27. Pittsburgh's bats did all the work today.