Matthew Boyd threw six quality innings, and Dansby Swanson hit a go-ahead home run in the sixth inning to propel the Chicago Cubs to a 2-1 victory over the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday afternoon.
Boyd (6-3) allowed just one run on one hit — Andrew McCutchen’s solo homer in the first — across six innings for the Cubs, who have taken two of three from the Pirates before the series finale on Sunday. Boyd also struck out three and walked one. Daniel Palencia allowed Nick Gonzales’s two-out single in the ninth before striking out Ke’Bryan Hayes to secure the win and his sixth save in seven tries this season.
Pittsburgh rookie starter Mike Burrows allowed one run on five hits in his 5 1/3-inning stint, before Ryan Borucki (1-3) allowed Swanson’s solo homer in the sixth. In just the fifth start of his career, Burrows struck out eight and walked none. McCutchen and Gonzales each recorded a pair of hits for the Pirates, who have mustered just five runs across the first three games of the series.
Pittsburgh struck first just two batters in as McCutchen connected on his seventh home run of the season, giving the Pirates a 1-0 lead on the 10th pitch of the game.
After Nico Hoerner singled and stole second in the bottom of the third, Matt Shaw’s groundout advanced him to third before Ian Happ knotted the score at one with a sacrifice fly to left.
Burrows got Seiya Suzuki to pop out to begin the bottom of the sixth before Borucki relieved the Pittsburgh starter after 81 pitches. Borucki retired Pete Crow-Armstrong but Swanson then launched his 13th homer of the year to give the Cubs a 2-1 edge.
Ryan Pressly replaced Boyd for the seventh, surrendering three singles in the inning but escaping without allowing a run.
Drew Pomeranz threw a scoreless eighth for the Cubs, while Braxton Ashcraft struck out two over a pair of perfect innings for the Pirates.
–Field Level Media
