CHICAGO — Their lineup bound together with glue, duct tape and a few stray pieces of bubble game, the Pirates were supposed to struggle scoring runs. They were definitely going to have trouble winning baseball games, especially at Wrigley Field, where they had dropped 17 of 19 dating back to September 2018.
Apparently someone forgot to communicate that message to them.
A few hours after an avalanche of roster news and moves removed two more of their top hitters, the Pirates answered by matching their offensive output from the past three games — Pittsburgh’s 6-5 victory over the Cubs giving them something to feel good about at the end of a six-game road trip.
Sunday’s win snapped a three-game losing skid and helped the Pirates improve their record to 14-19. They’re just 2-8 following a season-high three-game winning streak that saw Pittsburgh climb a game over .500 at 12-11 on April 27.
Wilmer Difo led the way with three hits against the Cubs and also drove in three of the Pirates’ six runs. Kevin Newman and Todd Frazier each had a pair of hits as well.
And although the offense became the feel-good story given how much that group is missing, it would also be wrong to ignore what Tyler Anderson has done. The left-handed starter the Pirates signed for $2.5 million this offseason has been simply sensational and enjoyed his best start yet in a Pirates uniform.
It was certainly the longest — for him or any Pirates starter.
Anderson worked eight innings and allowed just two runs on four hits and a walk, striking out six. Although Anderson was at 102 pitches (70 strikes) entering the ninth, and had retired 13 in a row, manager Derek Shelton was unmoved.
Instead of sticking with Anderson, Shelton called on Kyle Crick to shut the door, and that plan nearly backfired. Crick was wild, hitting one and walking another. So Shelton turned to Richard Rodriguez, who entered the game having retired 28 in a row and sporting a 0.16 WHIP, the third-lowest lowest for any major league pitcher through 12 appearances since 1900.
Rodriguez got a strikeout before allowing a pair of hits that scored three runs. Finally, pinch-hitter Javy Baez bounced out to second to end it.
Anderson was fairly evenly split with his pitch mix Sunday afternoon, using his cutter, four-seam fastball and changeup about equally, nothing more than 32% of the time. He also did a tremendous job changing speeds, something that has always been noticeable with Anderson.
Against the Cubs, his four-seam fastball came in anywhere from 86-92 mph. His cutter ranged from 81-87 mph. His changeup sat between 78-82 mph.
As Anderson reads swings and adjusts to what another team might be doing that day, he’s able to add and subtract with all of his pitches, which makes it hard for hitters to get their timing down. Even if they guess right on a pitch, they may be a tick off on its speed, leading to awkward swings or weak contact.
The Pirates had the first three batters of the game reach base, and all three scored during a busy first inning. Jacob Stallings plated one with his groundout to third. Then Difo brought in two with his bloop single into shallow center field.
Cubs center fielder Jake Marisnick crumpled to the grass in pain on the play, as he suffered a right hamstring strain.
The Pirates stretched their lead to 4-0 when Cubs shortstop Ildemaro Vargas’ throw to first was wide, pulling Anthony Rizzo off the bag and allowing Difo to score.
Chicago cut into the lead the next inning when center fielder Kris Bryant — who bumped over from left following Marisnick’s injury — stroked a leadoff double and scored on a line-drive single from left fielder Joc Pederson.
Although Pederson made solid contact — 104.6 mph exit velocity — it was hardly a terrible pitch from Anderson, who barely made any mistakes against the Cubs.
Pittsburgh answered with two more runs in the top of the third, as Erik Gonzalez singled and scored on Difo’s triple, the center fielder turning on an another elevated fastball and putting it off the ivy wall in right field.
Difo would later score when Frazier rocked a ball 102.8 mph, and it ticked off third baseman Matt Duffy’s glove, a difficult play with the Cubs playing their infield in.
The only other run Anderson allowed came in the fourth, when Rizzo singled to lead off, went to second on a walk to Bryant, moved to third on a fly ball to run and scored on right fielder Jason Heyward’s high chopped, with Anderson making the smart play and taking the out at first.
