Iced Pirates
Offense breaks out of funk as Bryant, Baez and Rizzo all homer
PITTSBURGH — Jayy Baez hit a go-ahead two-run home run in the sixth inning, and the Cubs’ struggling offense came to life in a 4-2 over Pittsburgh on Thursday.
Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo also homered as the Cubs pounded out a season-high 11 hits against Tyler Anderson (0-2) and four relievers. Baez, Rizzo, Bryant and Jake Marisnick had two hits each for Chicago, which raised its major-league worst team batting average from .143 to .157.
Jake Arrieta (2-0) survived a sometimes wobbly six innings to improve to 14-6 against the Pirates. Arrieta allowed two runs, seven hits and three walks and four strikeouts. Craig Kimbrel recorded the five outs for his second save.
Adam Frazier and Gregory Polanco had two hits each for the Pirates but couldn’t stop Pittsburgh from dropping its sixth straight.
The Pirates welcomed 7,784 fans back to PNC Park, though the team is in a far different place than it was when it ended the 2019 regular season with a 3-1 loss to Cincinnati just hours after firing then-manager Clint Hurdle.
Pittsburgh is in the midst of an organizational-wide overhaul, one focused more on the future than the present. A year after finishing with the worst record in the majors, the Pirates are off to another sluggish start under second-year manager Derek Shelton. Pittsburgh has allowed a major-league high 14 home runs, though the shots by Bryant and Baez were more a product of good hitting. Bryant sent a fastball low in the zone to the bushes behind the fence in center in the first. Baez scraped an Anderson offering off the plate and flicked it into the short-porch in left field in the sixth to put the Cubs in front.
The Pirates left 10 runners on base in all, including three in the eighth when Kimbrel came on with one out. He struck out Dustin Fowler and Wilmer Difo to end the threat.