Joshua Palacios clubbed a pinch-hit, three-run homer in the ninth after Johan Oviedo grinded through six scoreless innings as the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates beat the reeling Chicago Cubs 8-6 on Thursday night.
Oviedo (9-14) allowed five walks and four hits but evaded danger as Chicago (79-74) stranded 10 runners with him on the mound. Oviedo loaded the bases in the third but struck out Dansby Swanson to end the inning.
Pittsburgh (72-81) led 5-1 until the Cubs scored three times in the eighth.
However, a throwing error by Chicago third baseman Miles Mastrobuoni thwarted a potential double play after Bryan Reynolds was thrown out at the plate on Ke’Bryan Hayes’ double in the ninth, and Jack Suwinski followed with a walk. Palacios then took Julian Merryweather deep into the right-center-field bleachers to effectively seal the victory.
Swanson belted a two-run homer off Pittsburgh closer David Bednar in the ninth. But Bednar retired the next three batters, fanning two, for the Pirates, who improved to 3-10 against Chicago this season.
Miguel Andujar (three RBIs) and Connor Joe each had three hits for Pittsburgh, which is 14-8 since Aug. 28.
The Cubs, meanwhile, suffered their 10th loss in 13 games. Chicago’s Kyle Hendricks (6-8) allowed three runs (one earned) and seven hits in six innings.
After stranding three men in the first two innings, the Pirates came through in the third. Joe singled and went to second on a rare fielding error from Swanson. With two outs, Andujar sent a line-drive, two-run double to left-center field that made it 2-0.
Pittsburgh made it 3-0 in the fifth when Hayes doubled, went to third on Suwinski’s single and scored on Andujar’s base hit. Following an RBI single from Swanson that pulled the Cubs within 3-1, the Pirates added two more runs in the eighth on Ji Hwan Bae’s RBI triple and a run-scoring single from Joe.
Chicago’s half of the eighth featured Mike Tauchman’s RBI double, a wild pitch that scored Mastrobuoni and a run-scoring groundout from Nico Hoerner.
–Field Level Media