Joc Pederson wore a wide grin as he trotted over third base and toward home for the second time Tuesday night at PNC Park.
The Chicago Cubs leadoff man continued his hot month with his first multi-homer game of the season in a 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Pederson hit both homers off Pirates right-hander Cody Ponce, starting with a solo shot to right in the third inning. His two-run homer in the fifth drove in pitcher Jake Arrieta, who reached base on his second hit of the season, and tied the score at 3.
Later in the inning, Javier Báez doubled and scored on Anthony Rizzo’s single that shot past charging second baseman Adam Frazier for a 4-3 lead.
The homers were Pederson’s third and fourth of the season, and he also doubled in the ninth. Entering the series, Pederson was hitting .350 with two doubles, a triple, a homer, eight RBIs and a .397 on-base percentage since May 4, when he came off the 10-day injured list after recovering from left wrist tendinitis.
Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner left in the sixth after suffering a left hamstring strain while trying to beat the throw to first on a bunt. Hoerner stumbled to the ground after crossing the base and held the back of his left leg. He walked off on his own but went into the clubhouse.
The Pirates got to Arrieta early with a two-run first inning. Frazier led off with a single, and Ben Gamel followed with a double. Frazier scored on a passed ball that got by catcher P.J. Higgins, who started in place of injured Willson Contreras, and Gamel made it home on Jacob Stallings’ single to left.
Will Craig made it 3-0 in the second after he hit a ground-rule double that bounced into the left-field stands and then scored on Gamel’s single to center.
But Arrieta settled in after that, retiring eight straight batters from the second to the fifth. He didn’t allow a hit the rest of the way in his five-inning outing. He allowed two earned runs on five hits with one walk and seven strikeouts.
The Pirates didn’t get another hit until Wilmer Difo doubled against Andrew Chafin to put runners on second and third in the seventh. But Chafin struck out Bryan Reynolds to end the inning.
Cole Tucker led off the ninth against Cubs closer Craig Kimbrel with a double to right and advanced when Craig flied out to right. But Kimbrel struck out Ildemaro Vargas, and Frazier grounded out to end the game.
