Pittsburgh Pirates Defeated By The Chicago Cubs In Fifth Consecutive Loss

For the first time since before the All-Star Break, the Pittsburgh Pirates are under .500

Following a 1-hour and 47-minute rain delay, the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs played baseball at PNC Park on Friday night. Unfortunately, the game was not worth the wait for Pirate fans as for a second consecutive night the team was shutout in a loss 1-0 against the Cubs in a game where the Pirates hit into the same number of double plays as they had base hits.

Friday night’s loss was the fifth in a row for the Pirates. This skid has knocked the Pirates back under .500 at 61-62 and has likely ended their hopes of earning a National League Wild Card berth.

Trevor Williams started for the Pirates on Friday night and was brilliant once again. Entering his start on Friday night Williams had allowed just two runs in his previous five starts. On Friday, he would hold the Cubs to just one run.

With two outs in the top of the 2nd inning Kyle Schwarber hit a solo home run off of Williams, accounting for the lone run of the game. In 7 strong innings of work Williams allowed four hits, he walked two, and struck out four.

Williams continues to induce soft contact while hitting his spots. This was the recipe for his success as a rookie in 2017, and it has led to him currently being entrenched in the best six start stretch of his MLB career. Quietly, Williams now ranks 12th in the National League in ERA (3.53) as he continues to develop into a strong middle of the rotation starting pitcher for the Pirates.

In his last six starts Williams has allowed three runs on 31 hits, two home runs, 11 walks, and 18 strikeouts in 36 innings pitched. That, folks, is some a darn good pitching.

The strong start from Williams, much like Ivan Nova‘s the night before, was all for naught due to the team’s offense. For a second consecutive night Chicago pitching shutout the Pirates and the Bucs once again failed to become the first team in MLB history to win a game without scoring a run.

It has now been 23 innings since the Pirates last scored a run. Additionally, the team has been shutout in four of their last 12 games. This is not a recipe for success.

The Pirate offense did not get many opportunities on Friday night, and the ones they did get were wasted. As we will get to later, the Pirates tied a franchise record on Friday night that everyone associated with the team hoped would never be tied.

Cole Hamels started for the Cubs and continued his strong work as a member of the Cubbies. In 7 shutout innings, Hamels held the Pirates to just five hits, he walked a pair, and he hit a batter. He also recorded three strikeouts.

After a scoreless top of the 8th inning from Kyle Crick, Keone Kela took the mound in the 9th. Kela issued a walk and committed a throwing error that gave the Cubs runners on the corners with just one out. However, Kela then cracked down and got a strikeout before getting Addison Russell to lineout for the third out of the inning.

Facing Steve Cishek in the bottom of the 9th inning the Pirates had a chance to tie the game.

Corey Dickerson singled to lead off the inning and advanced to second on a wild pitch. After Cisherk struck out Marte, Joe Maddon called upon his inner Tony LaRussa and made a senseless pitching change going to Jesse Chavez.

Chavez’s night started by walking Gregory Polanco. However, history was then made. Chavez got David Freese to hit into a game ending 5-3 double play. This was the seventh double play the Pirates hit into on Friday night, which tied the franchise record for most double plays hit into in a single game.

Friday night’s loss at PNC Park carried a recent theme for the Pirates – not enough offense. For the first time since being swept in a doubleheader against the New York Mets in 1967, the Pirates have been shutout in back-to-back games at home.

Game three of this four-game series will be played at 7:05 p.m. on Saturday night. Joe Musgrove (3.49 ERA, 3.60 FIP) will look to play stopper for the Pirates and he will be opposed by Tyler Chatwood (5.06 ERA, 5.52 FIP). Originally, Mike Montgomery was slated to start for the Cubs but he was placed on the disabled list on Friday afternoon.

On paper, this pitching matchup greatly favors the Pirates. Musgrove has been excellent this season and Chatwood was removed from the Cubs’ rotation after being on pace for the worst season in MLB history in terms of walk rate (19.3%). If Chatwood can’t fix the Pirate offense, then it’s possible that nothing can.