May 16--The Chicago Cubs entered Friday's game on a roll, winners of four straight.
They squandered leads of 7-1 and 10-5 before Friday's game went into extra innings with the Pirates, tied 10-10 at Wrigley Field.
The Cubs emerged with an 11-10 win after Matt Szczur hit a short fly ball to right with the bases loaded and one out. The rightfielder got his spikes caught in the grass and fell to the ground as the ball dropped and the winning run crossed the plate.
The Cubs took a 3-0 lead on a three-run homer by Kris Bryant in the third inning. It was Bryant's fourth of the year.
The Pirates pulled to within 3-1 in the fourth inning after Pedro Alvarez deposited his fifth homer of the year in the unoccupied rightfield bleachers that are scheduled to be fully renovated by June 11.
Hendricks led off the bottom of the fourth with a double to right. He moved to third on a ground out by Addison Russell, and scored on a deep sacrifice fly by Dexter Fowler.
Anthony Rizzo followed with a solo homer to the back row of the right-field bleachers to make it 5-1. It was Rizzo's 8th homer of the season. That chased Pirates starter Jeff Locke.
Matt Szczur drilled a two-run single in the fifth to make it 7-1 in favor of the Cubs.
The Pirates chased Hendricks in the sixth inning as 10 men batted and four runs scored.
Jorge Soler drove in a run in the bottom of the sixth to give the Cubs an 8-5 lead.
The Pirates scored four in the top of the eighth. Andrew McCutchen hit a 3-run homer off Pedro Strop.
The Cubs are coming off a four-game sweep of the Mets. That was the first time the Cubs have swept the Mets in a four-game series at Wrigley Field since 1992.
The Pirates (17-18) have lost their last two games and are 7 1/2 games back in fourth place.
fmitchell@tribpub.com
